Return of the Hawk
by Vashti93
Summary: Shayera is looking for redemption. Bruce isn't looking for anything. Thanagarians want revenge. And the Gordanians want their promised prize. But what's a hawk to do when she's already lost her wings? (Disclaimer: I don't own any league or Batman or DC Comic characters. Also, title may change and summary may change.)
1. Chapter 1

Bruce looked at the rock ledge about seven feet from where he was currently hanging. "Don't do it, Bruce!" he heard his friend, Harvey, call from below. "You'll never make it."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Harvs!" he called out.

"I'm serious, Bruce. I don't want to have to call Alfred and let him know the man he considers a son fell to his death over a stupid dare!"

"A fall from this height wouldn't kill me, Harvey," Bruce stated with an eye roll.

"I'm serious, Bruce. Come back down here so we can climb down the rest of this mountain and rejoin your billionaire buddies."

"I knew you only hung out with me for my money," Bruce said with a laugh.

"Well, it's not for your personality," Harvey placed his hands on his hips.

"I'll be down in a sec."

"You're lucky we don't have cell phone service this high up or else I would have already called Alfred."

"Shut up and let me concentrate!" Bruce shouted.

"Unbelievable," Bruce heard Harvey mutter. Bruce ignored him, his gaze on the rocky ledge. He could make that jump easy. He was Batman. He'd done this hundreds of times in the cave. Grant it, he was usually harnessed. But, in his stubbornness to prove a point, he left all of his climbing gear, including his helmet, with Harvey; who was standing on a nice sturdy ledge 25 feet from the bottom. Bruce inhaled and exhaled. He needed to remain calm and clear headed. "If you die," he heard Harvey say, "can I have your Porsche?"

"Harvey!" he exclaimed.

"It's a really nice Porsche."

"I'm not gonna die!"

"Hurry up, or I'm leaving you!"

"Shut up! I'm trying to concentrate!" Harvey exhaled loudly in exasperation. Bruce rocked a couple of times before leaping to the ledge across from him. His hands came in contact with the rocky surface. _Yes! _ He made it. He began to pull himself up, when he started to slide. "Bruce?" he heard the panic in his friend's voice. The ledge looked a lot sturdier than it was. It began to give. He could feel the rocks crumble beneath his fingertips. _Crap!_ He was going to die. "Bruce!" he heard his friend cry louder. And then, Bruce was falling. "Bruce!" he heard his friend scream at the top of his lungs. He was going to die. One second, Bruce was watching his life flash before his eyes; the next he was…soaring? He felt small, strong hands gripping his underarms as he sailed through the air. His brain couldn't register what was happening. He felt his feet touch down on solid ground across from Harvey, whose was a mixture of relief, fear, and horror. Bruce turned to face his savior. "Shayera?" he said, his mouth reacting before his brain could. Bruce immediately snapped his mouth shut. The winged red head looked at him questioningly with her vibrant green eyes. Bruce mentally slapped himself in the face. He had momentarily forgotten that she was the one founding leaguer who didn't know his identity as Batman. Well…ex-leaguer. "Are you okay?" she asked in her beautiful husky voice.

"Yeah," Bruce replied, his blue eyes boring into her green ones.

"Are you sure?" she asked, not put off by his probing stare at all.

"I am. Thank you." She looked at him, his friend, and then at the ground where his climbing equipment lay. "You guys got it from here?" she asked. Bruce turned to look at Harvey who just staring stupidly with his mouth agape. "We'll be fine," he said, looking back at the woman formerly known as Hawkgirl. "Thank you, again." She gave a stiff nod in acknowledgement before taking flight. Bruce followed her with his eyes long after she was out of sight. "Dude," his friend said running to him. "Do you know who that was?" Bruce stared at the place Shayera had been standing seconds ago. "That was one of those bird people. I thought the Justice League kicked all of them off of this planet."

"I guess they didn't get all of them," Bruce said as he began to put his helmet back on.

"Is there someone we should call, to you know, report it or something?"

"Why?" Bruce asked as he readjusted his carabiner. "She's not hurting anyone. And she saved my life. Maybe she's not one of the dangerous ones. Not _all _of the bird people were evil. And Hawkgirl did end up saving Earth in the end." Harvey seemed to ponder this. "Dude," Harvey said to Bruce, "what if that _was _Hawkgirl. How cool would that be? Man, I should have asked for a picture." Bruce chuckled at his friend, checking to make sure all of his straps and ropes were secure. "You ready?" he asked Harvey before beginning their descent.

* * *

Shayera landed at the entrance of the dark cave she had been calling home for the past three months. It was dark and dreary and moist in some parts. The only thing it had was a fireplace she only lit when it was unbearably cold…which was more often than not. Her wings only did so much. She began to rub her arms. It wasn't the wind chill that was causing her to tremble. It was the blue-eyed man who she saved. The one who knew her name. He may have uttered it quietly so his companion couldn't hear, but her hearing was excellent. She heard him clearly. _Shayera._ How had he known her name? His voice sounded a little familiar, but she couldn't place his face. Maybe she had betrayed him in the invasion. But no, fear was not evident on his face when he looked at her. Shock? Yes. Recognition? Again, yes. But how? Hardly anyone knew she was still on Earth. The only people who knew were people from the small villages she sometimes visited. But they were so far removed from society…they were the only ones kind to her. Maybe because they didn't feel the full brunt of the Thanagarian invasion. Her people hadn't cared so much for the people high up in the mountains. But other than that, she had no contact with anyone. Ever. She was alone in her solitude. She liked it. She preferred it. Shayera moved further into the cave and sat on the hard, damp floor. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her wings around her body, affectively cocooning herself. She was so pathetic and tired. When would it all end?


	2. Chapter 2

Bruce laughed animatedly with the rest of the table as he listened to his friend regale their companions with the story of their climbing misadventure. "Bruce," he turned to the gorgeous female, Sienna, sitting next to him. "Weren't you scared?" her blue eyes dancing with mirth.

"Of course not," Bruce said giving her his usual cocky, playboy smile. "Harvey was there to protect me." The beautiful Gotham socialite rolled her eyes. "Actually," Harvey interrupted, "one of those hawk people saved our billionaire friend. A female hawk person." Sienna gasped with a hand to her chest, drawing attention to her cleavage. "Is that right, Bruce?" she asked in a soft voice. "I thought they were all gone."

"Apparently not _all _of them," Harvey said.

"What did she look like?" another member of their small dinner party, Charles, asked.

"She looked…" Bruce trailed off. "Haggard." Bruce recalled Shayera's appearance. There had been dirt smudges on her face. Her hair, once short and wavy, was now long and stringy and in desperate need of a wash. Her wings, once fluffy and white, looked thin and dirty and weak. Instead of her usually Hawkgirl attire, she had been dressed in loose sweatpants and tank top. She looked thin, extremely thin. Her cheeks were hollowed in. And her eyes were empty and hopeless. Despite all that, Bruce still thought her beautiful. "Haggard, yes," Harvey echoed. "But bang-able."

"Harvey!" Sienna screeched.

"Harvey," a blonde-haired woman named Samantha chastised, "have some respect."

"For those vultures?" Charles scoffed raising his wine glass to his lips. "Please."

"She saved Bruce," Sienna said.

"So?" Charles answered. "You may have forgotten what those…things did to our planet, but I haven't."

"We don't know her story," Samantha said.

"I don't need to know it," Charles said. "She's no good. We should report her."

"To who?"

"I don't know…the UN?" Charlie answered. Bruce let his mind wander as the two started bickering back and forth. He had a million questions and zero answers. Why was she still on Earth? How was she still on Earth? He needed to investigate. He stood up. "Well, I'm beat after my near-death experience," he said. "I'm going to bed."

"Would you like some company?" Sienna asked with a flirtatious smile. Bruce wasn't an idiot; she had been giving him signs all night. Any other night, he would have taken her up on her offer, but tonight he had work to do. He opened his mouth to politely decline when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. A bat sign appeared. "I'm sorry," he said. "This is important. I have to go." He barely registered her crestfallen face when he turned and walked away. "I wouldn't mind some company," he heard Harvey say, followed by a loud slap.

* * *

"Talk," Bruce answered gruffly once he was in the safety of his hotel room.

"Well hello to you too," he heard Clark on the other end.

"You wanted something."

"We need you at the Watchtower. Now."

"This can't wait?"

"I wouldn't contact you like this if it weren't an emergency."

"Fine. I'll send J'ohnn my coordinates." Bruce hung up.

Five minutes later Bruce found himself in full Batman gear, standing in the main hall of the Watchtower. Superman and Wonder Woman stood across from Flash, Green Lantern, the Martian Manhunter, and Batman. "Thank you for coming on short notice," Superman began. "Hopefully this will be quick. We are about to meet with someone," he finished uneasily.

"Who?" Green Lantern asked.

"J'ohnn," Superman said to the green shapeshifter. The Martian Manhunter went to a console, punched a few buttons, and then said, "All right, Lieutenant, we're all here." Suddenly, a holographic image of a female wearing the same attire Shayera once wore appeared. She even held a mace. "What the hell is this?" Green Lantern demanded indignantly.

"Shay?" Flash asked.

"Don't compare me to that _viperae_!" the figure growled in rage, causing Flash to take a step back.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Batman asked in his classic batman voice.

"My name is Issi Hol. I am a lietentant in the Thanagar army."

"Is this your way of giving us a heads up about another invasion?" Flash asked.

"No," she said. "We have no quarrel with Earth."

"Then why are you bothering us?" Batman asked.

"You have something we want."

"Why would we help you?" Wonder Woman asked. Lieutenant Issi ignored her. "We have reason to believe the one you call 'Hawkgirl' is hiding out on Earth still. Thanagar wants her back."

"What makes you think she's still on Earth?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Because we left her there. And we left her with no way to get back home."

"Really?" Flash asked.

"Of course you did," Green Lantern muttered with an eye roll.

"Why should we help you?" Batman asked.

"Do you really want us to come there and look for her ourselves?" Issi asked with a smirk.

"We beat you once," Flash argued, "we could beat you again." Batman resisted the urge to deck the young speedster.

"You only one because that _perfuga _helped you," she bit back. "Nevertheless, Earth no longer has anything we want."

"Except this," Superman spoke up.

"Yes. Shayera is on your planet. We know this for a fact. A Thanagarian ship will be in your orbit within the next 24 hours. Have her ready for transport."

"Or what?" Green Lantern demanded.

"It's been two years since our invasion. We have updated our weapons and strengthened our military since then. Have you?" And with that, Issi broke the connection and disappeared. "I don't believe her," the Green Lantern said after a moment of silence. "I don't trust any hawk person. They're just looking for another reason to invade us. Screw them."

"But what if Shayera is on Earth?" Flash asked. "Do we really want to give her up? Who knows what they'll do to her?"

"Why should we care?" Wonder Woman asked. "She's a traitor. She deserves whatever they have planned for her."

"She chose us in the end," Flash argued. Wonder Woman crossed her arms and looked away. "Anything to add?' she glared at Batman. Batman turned to Superman and asked, "Is there any proof that Shayera is, in fact, on Earth?"

"J'ohnn," Superman turned to the Manhunter. J'ohnn brought up an image. "This is Piccola Citta. A small town located in the green hills of Italy. A few months ago, there was a cave in. Three little boys were stuck. But a mysterious winged woman appeared from seemingly nowhere and saved them. Since then, this winged woman has been seen periodically throughout small villages in the region."

"How do you know all of this?" Flash asked.

"At least 10 people in this village have social media accounts, with less than 20 followers. I've been keeping myself…informed."

"And we're just now hearing of this?" Wonder Woman glared. J'ohnn just shrugged her off before continuing, "She wasn't harming anybody, and it wasn't necessary for any of you to know. I monitored the situation. I felt it prudent to leave her alone. Most of these villages needed help."

"I say we hunt her down and hand her over," Wonder Woman said.

"Which is why you should not be the one to go after her," Batman said. "You'll kill her."

"And?"

"We don't kill, Diana," Superman said.

"She deserves to die."

"That's a bit harsh," Flash said. "She didn't have much of a choice."

"There's always a choice."

"And she chose us in the end."

"She shouldn't have betrayed us in the first place."

"I think we should leave her alone."

"Of course, you do," Green Lantern said, "you always acted like a lovesick puppy around her."

"How long was it before you ran into Vixen's arms?" Flash faced the lantern head on. "A month as I recall."

"Listen you little-"

"Enough," Superman said. "This arguing is getting us nowhere." Bruce turned to leave. "Where are you going?" Superman asked.

"To talk to Shayera."

"You know where she is?"

"I saw her eight hours ago. J'ohnn," he said preparing to be teleported, ignoring the looks of shock and anger.

* * *

Shayera lay huddled in her cocoon, listening to the rain fall outside of her cave. This was her life now. Staring into nothingness. Helping a village here and there. Existing but not living. She didn't deserve to live, but death was too easy. Living without having anything to live for was a more suitable punishment for her. "You're a hard person to find," she heard a deep, gruff voice say. She didn't budge. She had been expecting him. "Took you long enough," she said unfurling herself.

"You were expecting me," he stated rather than asked.

"I heard your batwing fly over head 15 minutes ago." She turned to look at Batman. "How did you find me?"

"You made a mistake," Bruce said. "You saved my life today."

"I saved your…" then it dawned on her. "You were the rock climber." He gave a short nod. "What do you want?" she asked. "This obviously isn't a social visit."

"I'm here to bring you in."

"You're going to bring me in?" she repeated incredulously.

"But hopefully you'll come willingly."

"What?" she asked. Bruce hit a few buttons on his wrist. An image of a female Thanagarian lit up the dark cave, allowing Bruce to see her face better. "This woman named Lieutenant Issi contacted the league. Thanagar wants you back; they're threatening to invade if we don't hand you over." He didn't miss the intake of breath she gave when she heard the name Issi. "Does the name Issi mean something to you?" he demanded. Shayera opened her mouth to lie but thought better of it. She was tired of lying and tired of running. She had nothing more to lose. "She is my younger sister," she stated nonchalantly. It wasn't like the two of them had ever been close. "What do you want to do?" Batman asked. Shayera stood to her feet and said, "Take me to them."


	3. Chapter 3

Twenty minutes later, Shayera found herself standing on the balcony of an extravagant hotel suite. "I thought you were taking me to the Watchtower," she said to Batman.

"They're not expecting you for another 23 hours," he said walking past her into the room. She followed silently. Bruce pulled off his cowl before walking to a closet. He pulled out a white, plush robe and handed it to Shayera. She stared at it blankly. "What's this for?" she asked.

"You need a shower. You look awful."

"Why does it matter what I look like?"

"And you smell," Bruce finished. Shayera rolled her eyes still not taking the robe from Bruce's outstretched hand. "My wings will tear through that," she said. Bruce silently agreed. He dropped his hand to his side and said, "There is an extra towel and washcloth in the bathroom. I'll see about finding you some clothes." Shayera said nothing as she walked into the bathroom. Once Bruce heard the shower running, he called Superman. _"Bruce."_

"I have her."

_"Good. I'll tell J'ohnn to-"_

"The Thanagarians gave us 24 hours," Bruce interrupted as he began to undress, "I'll bring her to the Watchtower then."

_"Why not now?"_

"Are you sure you want to hand her over? When it comes to betrayal, Thanagarians aren't too forgiving. And Shayera was a lieutenant. You know what they'll do to her."

"_I don't feel any better about this than you do, but if it means Earth's protection…" _Bruce heard the shower turn off. He went to the dresser and pulled out sweatpants and wife beater. They would hang off her small frame, but it was better than nothing.

"I'll figure something out," Bruce said before ending the call. He knocked on the bathroom door. "Shayera," he said, "I have clothes for you." The door cracked open and a white arm speckled with bruises here and there popped out. He placed the garments in her hand before picking a spot on the bed. Moments later, Shayera stepped out of the bathroom looking cleaner than before. Her hair which once had been dirty and matted was now back to its original vibrant red color and it fell in soft waves to her waist. The dirt smudges on her face were no longer there, and her wings were back to their white color. "Sorry," she said, "I had to tear the back of your shirt to accommodate my wings." Bruce blinked in acknowledgment. "What now?" she asked.

"Now," he said rising from the bed, "we get some sleep. You can sleep in here, I'll sleep in the other room."

"What are you doing?" she asked before he could leave her alone. "Why don't you just hand me over?"

"You're eager to reconnect with your old comrades?" he questioned with a raised brow.

"No," she said emphatically. "I know exactly what awaits me on Thanagar. I am in no hurry to get there."

"What exactly awaits you?" he asked crossing his arms.

"I am a traitor."

"So you'll get a traitor's death?"

"No," Shayera said with a mocking smile. "They'll take my wings," she said, tears coming to her eyes. "And then they'll dump me on some planet. They'll have my name stricken from birth records, school records, military records. Every photo of me will be destroyed. Every mention of my name will be erased. It will be as if I never existed."

"What about your family?"

"What about them?" she answered back with a shrug. "They won't care. In their eyes, I am already dead." Bruce felt something tug in his chest at her words. An unfamiliar feeling. "The price of betrayal to one's people is very high on my home world. It is one that I must pay. It is one I deserve," she said looking down at her bare feet.

"Do you?" Bruce asked. Her eyes snapped up to meet his. "Sure, what you did to Earth was messed up; but, from my understanding, you were tricked into betraying us. When you uncovered your people's true motives, that's when you betrayed them."

"Not everyone sees it that way," Shayera stated softly.

"True, but not everyone is me." Shayera nodded in agreement. "I'll still don't know your name," she said. "But you don't have to tell me."

"Bruce."

"Bruce?"

"Wayne. Bruce Wayne."

"Ahh. The infamous billionaire playboy."

"I'm surprised you didn't recognize me."

"I didn't have access to internet in my self-imposed exile. And while I was here on Earth, I spent most of my time at the Watchtower." A moment of silence overtook them. Shayera began to chew nervously on her bottom lip. "You're worried," Bruce said.

"I'm just thinking about how much it will hurt when they take my wings."

"How can they take your wings?" Bruce asked. "They're attached to your body."

"If I am lucky, they will saw them off, and I will be drugged so I don't feel any pain."

"And if you're unlucky?"

"They will hold me down and have someone yank and pull at them until they are separated from my back." Bruce tried, but he couldn't hide the disgust from his face at such a practice. He sat next to Shayera who had taken a seat on the bed. "We won't let them do that to you," he said.

"You won't have a choice."

"It's barbaric."

"It is justice in their eyes."

"They pride themselves with being more evolved than humans, but-"

"Why do you care? Aren't you the least bit happy that I may be getting what I deserve?" she questioned him. Bruce stared at the beautiful woman sitting less than two feet from him. "When you first betrayed us, I was furious," he said slowly. "When you saved us, I was again furious. But after a week, I realized I was not upset with you. I was mad at myself."

"Why?"

"Because you made a fool out of me. I pride myself with being able to judge people based on their micro-expressions."

"I wore a mask that covered most of my face."

"And body language. Judging people by their actions, by the words that come out of your mouth. Nothing about you said traitor. Then it hit me, maybe you weren't. I went over everything that happened during the invasion. Everything I heard. I concluded that you were just another victim, like Earth." The whole time Bruce talked, Shayera's gaze never left his face. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. "I also remember when you appeared to us that day the fleet left our atmosphere. It was the first time I had seen you without your mask," he whispered as he gently leaned closer to her, dragging his finger slowly down the side of her face. "I decided that I had never seen anything as beautiful as you in my entire life."

"Bruce," Shayera whispered as she felt his thumb softly stroke her lower lip. "I-" Bruce swiftly pulled away from her, standing to his feet abruptly. "You need some rest," he said clearing his throat. "We both do." Shayera nodded, hiding her confusion. She backed up further into the bed. Bruce turned off the light. Shayera was still able to see him with her night vision. "You okay?" he turned and asked her before exiting the room.

"Yes," she said burrowing beneath the covers. "Thank you." Bruce nodded once and left the room, closing the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

This was it. Shayera shuffled nervously from one foot to the other. She was going to see her ex-teammates for the first time in two years. _Oh joy,_ she thought to herself sarcastically. She stood behind Batman in the lift, handcuffed. She could have easily broken out of them, but they both felt it made her seem like less of threat. And the other leaguers would feel more at ease around her if she were bound. She followed Batman off of the lift, and into the main hall where not only her teammates were waiting, but also four weaponless Thanagarians. She immediately recognized two of them. Issi and her ex-fiancee Katar. The other two very tall and very muscular Thanagarians she did not recognize, though, she didn't have to guess what their purpose was. All though all four wore masks, nothing could hide the disgust and sneers from their faces. There's were almost as bad as Diana's and John's. Flash looked torn. Superman looked a little regretful; and J'ohnn, well, no one ever knew what J'ohnn was thinking. But for the first time ever, Shayera let the walls in her mind down giving J'ohnn full access to her thoughts. The twitch of his lip was the only reaction he gave showing his surprise at such a gesture. Batman stood to the side as Shayera walked to stand in front of Issi. "Issi. Katar."

"_Well if it isn't the traitorous bitch herself," _Issi spoke in the Thanagar tongue. "_We lost a lot of good soldiers because of you."_

_ "We lost a lot of good soldiers because of this stupid war with the Gordanians. It's gone on long enough," _Shayera replied in kind.

"We?" Issi spoke, this time in English. "There is no 'we'." She motioned to the two huge Thanagarians who immediately stepped forward, each holding one of her arms in a painful grip, forcing Shayera all the way to the floor. What were they doing? She then felt Issi take a fistful of hair and slam her head against the floor, hard. A wave of panic overtook Shayera. She knew exactly what was going on. She just didn't think they would do it here. "What are you doing?" she heard Flash ask as she felt Katar's hands on her wings. "I'm sorry," she heard Katar say softly.

"Do it," she heard Issi give the command. Shayera clenched her teeth, bracing herself for the pain.

"What are you doing!" she heard the panic in Flash's voice. An sickening _crack _filled the room. And Shayera screamed. She screamed like she had never screamed before in her life. She tried to break away from the hands holding her down, but she couldn't. Another _crack _followed by another heart wrenching scream. She was going to throw up, or pass out, or both. She felt Katar give another yank. She could feel blood running down her arms and neck. She heard more yelling and screaming coming from the leaguers. Suddenly, the pressure on her back, arms, and legs disappeared. She lay on her stomach, her body convulsing, blood coming from her mouth and nose. Her vision was blurry. But from what she could make out, Superman had Katar pinned against a wall. Wonder Woman and Issi were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. She didn't know where the other two Thanagarian guards were, but she could only assume they were engaging Flash and Green Lantern in a fight of their own. She lay on the floor, sobbing. Batman came into her line of vision, staring at her through his cowl. His lips were moving, but she had no idea what he was saying. She could feel J'ohnn in her mind, trying to sooth her. The last thing she saw before she let blackness overtake her was Batman's lips forming her name.

* * *

She was unconscious. Batman wanted to touch her, but at the same time he was afraid of doing more damage. "I put her to sleep," J'ohnn explained, "she was in too much pain." Bruce released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He needed to think, but he couldn't get anything done with the other founding leaguers yelling and fighting. "ENOUGH!" he yelled. He may not have super strength or superspeed or a fancy green ring, but he had a deep voice that struck fear in many, many villains. Everyone froze in shock. Had Batman just yelled? He had never even raised his voice before. Superman released Katar. Wonder Woman and Issi separated. And Green Lantern and Flash dropped two unconscious guards unceremoniously on the ground. "What is the meaning of this?" the female lieutenant demanded.

"You tell us," Flash said.

"We agreed to hand Shayera over to you," Wonder Woman said, "we did not agree for her to be tortured."

"Exactly what else did you plan to do with her?" Green Lantern demanded.

"Why does it matter to you?" Issi said. "She is _viperae. _A traitor."

"Yeah," Flash said. "And if she hadn't betrayed _you,_ inhabitants of Earth would all most likely be enslaved or dead."

"Oh please," Katar said while popping his shoulder back into place, "she is a traitor to you, just like she is to us."

"She's our friend!" Flash argued.

Issi scoffed. "You willingly handed your _friend_ over to us knowing full well she would be punished."

"We didn't think you would do…_that_," Wonder Woman said.

"Please don't insult our intelligence, Princess," Katar sneered. "You of all people know the punishment for betraying one's people on Thanagar. You're not an idiot! Don't pretend to be one!"

"What else did you have in store for her?" Superman asked, his eyes glowing red. A method of intimidation most affective with 90% of the universe proved massively ineffective with the Thanagarians. "That's none of your concern," Issi said stepping up to the angry Kryptonian.

"You were going to take her wings and then abandon her on a planet," Batman finally spoke up.

"How did you know that?" Flash asked. Batman ignored him. "Which planet?" Batman asked. He was met with silence. "She comes with us," Katar said.

"No, she is not," Batman said.

"We had a deal."

"One that is now null and void thanks to your antics here today," Superman said.

"We'll keep her here," Batman said.

"No," Issi replied. "She must come with us."

"Why?" Batman asked again. "It shouldn't matter. You've left her here for two years. Why is she so important now?" Issi and Katar stared at each other communicating silently. Katar gave a slight nod. "She's to be handed over to the Gordanians as part of our peace pact," Issi answered.

"What!" Green Lantern yelled in shock, "are you insane? Do you know what they'll do to her?"

"Not our problem," was Issi's flippant response.

"Handing her over to your enemy," Flash said.

"Shayera made herself the enemy when she disobeyed orders," Katar said. "This is her punishment." Batman looked down at Shayera while the rest of the leaguers and Thanagarians argued amongst each other. J'ohnn appeared at his side. "We need to get her treatment. Now. She has lost way too much blood. I fear her wings cannot be saved," he said to Batman. Batman carefully picked Shayera up in his arms causing an abrupt silence. She released a painful moan. "I'm taking her with me. You all can figure this out." Issi stepped forward to argue, but Batman fixed her with a dark glare. She immediately backed up. It seemed the reputation of the Bat was spreading to other worlds. "_J'ohnn," _he said in his head, "_teleport us to Wayne Manor, and meet me there. ASAP." _Batman walked away as the rest of the room's occupants began to argue again. They could tear each other to shreds for all he cared. He had a bigger problem he was worried about. And she was currently dying in his arms.


	5. Chapter 5

Shayera blinked her eyes open slowly. She burrowed her head further into the soft pillow. Where was she? Shayera moved her head, looking around slowly to take stock of her surroundings. She was in a bed, that much was obvious. But there was an older gentleman dressed immaculately standing at the foot of the bed giving her a friendly, comforting smile. "Oh, you're awake," he spoke with a British accent, the smile never leaving his face. "Master Bruce will be most pleased. You had us all worried. It was touch and go there for a minute. But Master Bruce remained as positive as ever." He walked to stand by the side of the bed. Shayera tried to sit up but failed miserably. She attempted to do it again. "No, no, Miss Shayera," the man said pushing her down gently by the shoulders, but she all but threw him off of her as she sat up moving her shoulders in a way she had never been able to before. _Something is wrong, _Shayera thought. Her back felt…_weird…_different. Like, something was missing. It then hit her like a ton of bricks. Her breathing became erratic. The walls were closing in. Her head was pounding. She reached her arms towards her back, her hands shaking. She _needed _to feel them. "Where…where are they?" she asked in a whispered panic. "No, no, no, no," she felt the tears come to her eyes. "I can't – I can't feel-" She was going to throw up. Her hands gripped her head as her memory came rushing back in. Her ex-teammates, being forced to her knees, the pain when – she gasped. They were gone. Her wings were gone. She needed – well, she didn't know what she needed, but she needed to go. The entire time her brain was processing this new information, the older gentleman had rushed back to her side, attempting to push her back on the bed. "Miss Shayera, please calm down," he said. "You'll tear your stitches."

"No, no, no, no, no," she said not hearing him. She couldn't handle the pain, the trauma. Neither her body nor her mind would allow it. She began to fight Alfred, trying to get out of bed. She needed to get out of here. The older gentleman, who was a lot stronger than he looked, forced her onto her back, causing a wave of pain to shoot up her spine. "Ahhh!" she screamed, tears coming to her eyes. "Get off!" she screamed. "What is going on?" a young man asked, bursting into the room.

"Help me, Jason!" the British man screamed. Jason grabbed Shayera's legs, trying to hold her still.

"Tim!" Jason screamed. "Get Bruce!"

"We need to calm her down. Hand me the syringe!" As soon as she heard those words, Shayera threw both Jason and Alfred off her and jumped from the bed. She stumbled out the room into the hallway, using the walls for support. Without her wings, her balance was non-existent. She had no idea which way to go, but she needed air. She ignored the moisture on her back as she slowly walked towards what she assumed were stairs a few yards away. "Shayera!" she heard a deep voice call. But she was in too much pain to care; her body was in a fight-or-flight mode, and flight seemed like the best option. But the pain in her back, the pounding in her head, the nausea – she physically couldn't take anymore. She slumped to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest, willing the tears to stop. She was better than this. She refused to show weakness. She was a hawk for crying out loud. Or _was _she? "Shayera," she heard the deep voice, albeit softly this time. He was now right in front of her. "Shayera." She looked up, startled to see dazzling blue eyes looking back at her in concern. "Go away, Bruce," Shayera said hiding her face in her arms.

"You've reopened your stitches," Bruce said, putting a comforting hand on her arm. "You shouldn't be walking. You need to lay back down." Shayera began to rock back and forth, trying to comfort herself. "Shayera," Bruce called her name softly.

"I can't. I can't. I can't," she cried, still refusing to meet his gaze.

"Yes. You can."

"I want to go home," she sobbed. She wanted her cave. "We'll figure something out, but for now, I need to get you back in bed. Your back is bleeding again." Shayera shook her head 'no'. She wanted to stay in her little ball forever and never leave. She wanted her wings. "No! No! No!" she began to scream and beat her head with her fists.

"Shayera," Bruce said firmly grabbing her wrists. She began to look around as her breathing became labored. Her eyes weren't focusing on anything. "Sir, she's going back into shock," she heard the British man say from…somewhere. His voice seemed so far away. She began to hyperventilate. Her brain felt like it was going to explode as the tears poured down her face in torrents. "Alfred," she heard in the distance. She then felt a prick in her arm. Her vision became fuzzy, and she had the overwhelming urge to fall asleep. What did they give her? Shayera felt her body slowly fall to the side, and she felt a gentle hand underneath her head guide her to the floor. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed again was eyes the color of the sky gazing at her with an unidentifiable emotion.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Shayera! Keep your stance wide! You don't want your opponent to knock you off balance!" her father shouted from the balcony above the sparring ground. Eight-year old Shayera blocked the instructor with her spear, only for her to take a shot to her gut. "Ugh!" she double over in pain._

_ "Get up!" she heard her father shout. She ignored the pain in her abdomen and kept fighting. "Ow!" she screamed when her instructor's sword caught her forearm. She immediately flew back a couple of feet gripping her right forearm. "Don't retreat! Suck it up and get back over there!" Shayera flew right at her defender with a mighty war cry, but her instructor sidestepped her attack and came down on her wings with his sword. "Aaaahhhh!"_

"Aaaahhh!" Shayera screamed, shooting up in bed.

"Shayera," Bruce rushed to her side, placing his hands on her shoulders, holding her still. He did _not _want a repeat of a few hours ago. "Relax, relax, relax," he said willing the hawkgirl to breathe. "Inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale," repeated Bruce. Once her breathing normalized, Bruce grabbed a glass of water from the nightstand. "Drink slowly," he said lifting it to her mouth, keeping his hands near the glass in case she needed help.

"Thanks," she said once she was finished. Bruce nodded, placing the now empty glass back on the nightstand. They say in silence as Shayera stared at her hands. Bruce gave her a moment. "Where am I?" Shayera asked softly.

"My….house?" Bruce said uncertainly.

"House," she scoffed looking around the room. "This is a castle – a fortress."

"I guess so," Bruce said with a smirk.

"What I mean is, why am I here?" she said meeting his gaze.

"They were going to hand you over to the Gordanians." Shayera's eyes widened in horror. "But – but why?" she questioned. "I know I betrayed them, but this – this is…"

"Shayera," Bruce said sitting on the side of the bed, "stay calm."

"I am calm!" she shouted. Bruce raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry," she said placing her head in her hands, ignoring the pain it caused. "They hate me so much," she breathed, "I don't deserve…" he voice trailed off as Shayera lowered her head to hide her tears. "What happens now?" Shayera asked, raising her head to look Bruce in the eye.

"Now, you stay in bed and recover."

"After that."

"Then, we prepare ourselves for visitors."

"You don't think Thanagar will invade again, do you?"

"No. I'm more concerned about what the Gordanians will do."

"I should have never come to Earth," Shayera said with her shoulders slumped.

"You know," Bruce said leaning back slightly. "The entire two years we worked together, you never once spoke about Thanagar or your life before the Justice League or why you were on Earth."

"Is there a question in there?"

"No. Just an observation."

"Well ask away. It's not like I can go anywhere in this condition."

"Maybe another time. Right now, I want to see you try to keep something down other than water. I'll have Alfred bring something up from the kitchen."

* * *

"What are we going to do with her?" Wonder Woman asked.

"What do you mean 'what are we going to do with her'?" the Flash asked. "Protect her. Keep her safe, obviously."

"I don't think that's wise."

"Of course you don't!" Flash bit back. "You probably want to hand her to the Gordanians yourself!"

"I would never-"

"What? You'd never what?"

"Don't blame me for what happened to Shayera!" Diana's eyes blazed in fury. "I didn't think the Thanagarians were going to torture her! What happened to her wasn't my fault!"

"The invasion wasn't Shayera's fault either, and you know that!"

"Flash," Superman attempted to intervene.

"You too, Superman. At least she didn't go on a violent spree like a certain someone." Superman looked away shamefully. "That was not my fault," Superman said softly. "Lex poisoned me."

"Yeah that happens a lot," Flash snapped. The Kryptonian glared at the speedster. "If you can't be held responsible for your actions, neither should Shayera. She was tricked, but she chose us in the end. She betrayed her entire planet for us. And for that, we let them take her wings."

"We tried to stop them," Wonder Woman argued.

"Only after they ripped off her right wing. Let's be honest. We knew what they were going to do as soon as they forced her to the ground."

"You're right," Superman said softly. "I didn't want to believe it, but…"

"Are you guys done arguing?" All three league members jumped at the sound of Batman's voice. "Dude," the Flash began, "how long have you been there?" Batman ignored him. "We're going to keep Shayera safe," Batman said.

"I agree," the Flash said.

"Of course you both would want to keep her safe," Wonder Woman mumbled.

"Listen," Flash began.

"Enough you two," Superman said. "Like everything else, we vote. Obviously, Batman and Flash want to protect Shayera. I actually agree."

"Really, Kal-el?" Wonder Woman said in disbelief.

"I thought handing her over to her own kind was a good idea. I was wrong."

"With Superman, that makes four. Wonder Woman obviously wants Shayera completely out of the picture," Flash said.

"I didn't say that," Wonder Woman mumbled.

"That leaves J'ohnn and John, but even if they do side with you, Wonder Woman, it won't matter. The _yays_ have it." Wonder Woman rolled her eyes. "Batman, how do you-" Flash stopped speaking when he realized the Bat was no longer in the room. He looked at the other two occupants of the room who looked just as confused as he did. "Does he not realize how annoying that is? Just a simple 'bye' would suffice."

"And Shayera is doing fine, just in case you were wondering," Batman popped his head around the corner to say.

"Stop doing that!" Flash yelled at Batman's disappearing figure.


	7. Chapter 7

Shayera stared at the ceiling of the room she was currently in. She was numb emotionally numb. Physically, she could feel her body trying to heal itself. But her back felt like it was on fire. And every move she made with her shoulders made a sickening crunch sound. Bruce, and the old guy named Alfred, kept pumping her with pain meds. But no matter how high the dosage, the pain was still there. The pain, and the memory. Nothing, _nothing, _was as painful as her wings being separated from her body. Being disowned by her family and people, the hurtful look on her ex-teammates' faces when they realized they had been betrayed, the guilt she felt at betraying her friends – none of that came close to the pain. When she recovered, _if _she recovered, she had no idea what she was going to do with herself. She couldn't go back to Thanagar. They would shoot her on sight. She couldn't go back to her cave hidden in the mountains. She couldn't fly. And she couldn't stay here…_no matter how safe I feel with Br_ – she immediately stopped that line of thought. She had no business thinking that way. She was a bad person. She didn't deserve to have these kinds of feelings for anyone – not when so many had died because of her actions. No, no, she deserved the pain she felt. "Ah, you're up again. Feeling better?' Shayera turned to see the butler, Alfred, standing with a tray in his hand and a friendly smile on his face. "Would you like to sit up?" he asked as he placed the tray on the nightstand. Shayera nodded. Alfred slowly helped her sit up, stuffing pillows behind her back to prop her up. "Comfortable?" he asked with a soft smile.

"As comfortable as can be," Shayera mumbled. "Where is Bruce?" she hoped she didn't sound desperate or eager.

"He should return from patrolling the streets of Gotham momentarily. It's been quiet these past few weeks."

"Patrolling? What time is it?"

"Almost 3 a.m."

"What!" Shayera all but screeched. "My body's internal clock is messed up."

"Not surprising. Your body has been through a great trauma. It will be a while before you are returned to normal."

"Normal?" Shayera repeated, "I will never be able to go back to normal. I'm broken."

"All broken things can be fixed, Miss Shayera," he said as set the tray on the bed. "Do you need help feeding yourself?"

"No thank you," Shayera said as her cheeks reddened. "I should be good."

"Very well," Alfred looked down at the watch on his wrist. "Master Bruce should return any minute now. I'm going to meet him. I'll send Master Tim to check on you."

"Okay," Shayera said with no idea who Master Tim was. "Thank you."

* * *

Bruce pulled his cowl off as Alfred came down the steps. "How is she?" he asked his butler.

"A little pale. But she is eating right now. Tim is watching her."

"And Jason?"

"Probably bugging Tim." Bruce rolled his eyes. Those two…

"How was the meeting, sir?" Alfred asked as Bruce began to undress.

"Shayera will be staying with us for a while."

"Until she recovers?"

"She's probably going to need to be rehabilitated, too."

"And the Watchtower…."

"Out of the question. I don't trust the other heroes around her. They might do more harm than good."

"But Diana –"

"Is not to be anywhere near Shayera without either me, Flash, J'ohnn present. I doubt she'll come visit anyway," Bruce said as he pulled on a pair of loose sweatpants.

"No shower, sir?" Alfred asked with a raised brow.

"Just a couple of thieves. I barely worked up a sweat. I smell fine," he said pulling on a wife beater.

"If you say so, sir. Eager to be the dark knight in shining armor to Miss Shayera?" Alfred joked.

"That – no. That is – no. I'm not – you're reading into things."

"That was convincing. You know me, sir, always a champion of love," was Alfred's dry response. Bruce opened his mouth to respond when he heard a "Bruce! Bruce!" Both men turned to see Tim sprinting down the stairs of the batcave. "It's Shayera," he gasped. "She's throwing up. A lot."

* * *

"Maybe we should try a light broth, sir," Alfred said as he and Bruce cleaned up the mess as Shayera had not been able to make it to the toilet on time.

"Her body must still be in shock," Bruce said. "It probably doesn't know how to function without wings."

"I should have known to put the trashcan next to her bed," Alfred mumbled. "I wasn't thinking."

"Neither one of us were thinking," Bruce responded, flinching as he heard muffled heaving sounds coming from the adjacent bathroom followed by the flush of a toilet. "She's been on a liquid diet for almost a month. Yesterday was the first time she was able to ingest water. I got ahead of myself. I'm going to need J'ohnn."

"You may have to bring her to the Watchtower."

"No," Bruce said firmly.

"The medical facility at the Watchtower is ten times better than the one in the batcave, no matter how state of the art the equipment down there is," Alfred reasoned. Bruce shook his head. "I'm not disagreeing with you, Alfred. I just don't want her around the others if she doesn't have to be." They continued to clean the floor and strip the bed in silence. "We should put her in a different room," Alfred said. "This one needs to be aired out."

"We can put her in mine. I'll stay in the adjacent one," Bruce said, immediately rolling her eyes at Alfred's knowing look. "Just so I can keep an eye on her," he added firmly.

"Do you still have her x-rays, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked as Tim pulled the soiled sheets off the mattress. "Maybe Master Tim can take a look at them. He is a genius after all. He might see….something." Tim turned to look at the two men on their knees, currently scrubbing the floor.

"That's a good idea," Bruce said looking at the teenager.

"I'll look at them later today," Tim said before leaving the bedroom with an armful of sheets.

"She's finished puking," Jason asked, sticking his head out the bathroom, "and I gave her some mouthwash."

"I'm coming, Jason," Bruce stood to his feet and walked to the bathroom. "Thank you, Jason. I will take it from here." Jason walked out of the bathroom without a second look. Shayera was sitting on the toilet seat, her head in her hands, and her hair falling forward affectively covering her face. "Shayera," Bruce said approaching the broken hawk. Shayera lifted her head, blinking back tears. "Are you okay?" Bruce crouched to be on her eye level.

"I'm sorry about the mess," Shayera said woefully. "I'm so embarrassed," she covered her face with her hands. Bruce gently rubbed the top of her shoulders, mindful of the stitches covering her back. "It's okay," he said with a crooked smile, "Dick threw up his food his first night here with me." Shayera didn't smile back. Her face remained neutral. "Come on," Bruce helped her stand to her feet. He wrapped one arm around her waist, and the other under her elbow and stood right behind her. He supported her weight as she slowly walked. But after a few painful steps, her legs began to give out. Bruce immediately scooped her up in his arms without a second thought. Shayera didn't even argue or look embarrassed. She no longer cared about her pride. "We shouldn't have given you solid food," Bruce said more to himself. Shayera felt the vibrations through his chest. "That was our mistake."

"Where are we going?" Shayera asked as they walked out the room into the hallway.

"I'm putting you in a different room."

"I'm sorry to be such a bother," she said. Bruce paused in hallway and looked into the green eyes of the woman in his arms. "You're not," he stated.

"Really?" she asked clearly not believing him.

"Life was dull until you got here," she heard a male voice from behind a closed door.

"Jason, go to sleep," Bruce said loudly as he continued to walk.

"It's 4 a.m.," Jason's voice came out muffled from the behind the door. "Once I'm up, I'm up." Shayera tried to hide her small smile, but Bruce saw it. "What?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Nothing," Shayera said looking away shyly. This was a side of Batman she never new existed. "Here is your new room," he said as they entered a room that was much bigger than the one she had previously occupied. And that was saying a lot because the previous room was almost as big as the hotel room they had shared. Bruce gently set her on the bed. "Bruce," she said in awe, "these sheets are silk," she said slowly dragging her hand across them.

"Yes," Bruce answered in amusement. "They are. Those doors over there lead to a balcony, and the bathroom – "

"This room is huge," she interrupted him.

"It's a little larger than – "

"This is your room," she stated.

"Your observation skills are still on point."

"I can't stay in your room," she said.

"Why not? I won't be far. There is a room that connects to the bathroom. That's where I'll be."

"This is – "

"Shayera," Bruce said sitting on the side of the bed close to her. "Tell you what," a playful look covered his handsome features, "if you can walk to the door by yourself, you can stay in a different room." Shayera fixed him with a hard glare. Bruce just gave her a victory smile. "Fine," she huffed out. Once again, a comfortable silence overtook them. "I know what you're going through," Bruce said.

"Really?" Shayera asked mockingly, "you were sent to a planet by your superiors to observe and report where you made friends only to find out later that your superiors were lying to you and made you choose sides only it was a lose-lose situation because you ended up losing your friends anyway and then given a chance to redeem yourself your superiors decide to banish you from the planet and permanently disfigure you? Really, Bruce? You know what that's like? Please tell," she finished with tears in her eyes. Bruce just stared at her. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "That wasn't fair – I'm sorry." She hung her head in shame.

"Stop apologizing," he said.

"What?" she lifted her head to look at him.

"I already told you, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"But I do," she choked out.

"You don't," Bruce said firmly staring deep into her eyes. Their faces were inches apart. "You don't," he repeated softly.

"How can you forgive me?" she searched his eyes for answers. "How can _you _of all people?" Bruce's eyes darted down to her lips, then back up to her eyes. "I just do," he answered in a shockingly soft voice. Shayera felt her face flush as he continued to gaze at her. She needed to back up. She was in dangerous territory, but she didn't dare look away from Bruce's scrutinizing gaze. He leaned forward; their lips were centimeters apart. "Shayera," Bruce whispered.

"I need to sleep," Shayera said, quickly turning her face away. "And don't you have a business to run?" she asked looking everywhere but Bruce.

"I go in when I want," Bruce said standing from the bed. "I can just as easily work from home. But I agree, you do need to rest." He turned to look at her before leaving the room and turning off the light. "I'm just on the other side of that bathroom if you need me."

"Okay."

"I'm serious," Bruce said. He looked serious.

"Okay," Shayera nodded.

"Okay. Good night."

* * *

The hawk agent flew stealthily through the dark streets of Gotham. The sun had yet to rise. She landed in a dark, vacant alley. "Agent Kol to Commander Hol," she said quietly into her ear comm.

_"Speak."_

"No sign of her in Gotham."

_"Are you positive?"_

"I've been searching for the past four weeks. If she's here, they are keeping her very well hidden."

_"Fine. Prepare for extraction."_

"Copy that." The agent waited to be teleported, completely unaware of the blue eyes that had been watching her every step.


	8. Chapter 8

_"Keep it up, Shayera!" An older Thanagarian stood by the edge of the swimming pool, arms crossed. His mask did little to hide the indifference on his face. "Do not stop until I say stop."_

_ "I'm (cough) tired," little Shayera said as she continued to tread water. Her arms were sore; her wings were heavy; her legs burned. Her eyes glistened with water and unshed tears. Her mother stood tall and regal behind her father. She said nothing as she held a swaddled baby in her arms. Her sister._

_ "Keep your arms above your head!" her father, the General, ordered._

_ "I c – c – can't," was Shayera's shaky response._

_ "You will _not _stop," her father stated firmly. Shayera continued to pump her little legs. Disobedience was not an option. "How long has she been at it?" she heard her mother ask._

_ "Forty-five minutes," he answered._

_ "I thought we agreed on 30 minutes, Talov. She's only 5."_

_ "She's fine. She's a fighter. Isn't that right?" her father crouched down, staring deep into her eyes through the whites of his mask. "I said, isn't that right?" he repeated himself._

_ "Yes, F-f-father," Shayera struggled to say. _

_ "Keep going."_

_ "Don't keep her too long," her mother said. "The Talaks will be here soon." Shayera couldn't do it anymore. "Keep going, Shayera," her father ordered her. She felt weird. Everything looked….fuzzy. Her eyes slowly began to close. "Shayera!" she heard her father bark. Her eyes snapped open. "Keep going."_

_ "I – I can't," she finished slowly as her eyes began to close._

_ "Shayera?" Was that worry in her dad's voice. "Shayera!" The last thing she heard was a splash before she felt her body slip under the calm pool water._

Shayera's eyes popped open. Her hair, wet with sweat, stuck to her forehead. Her breath was coming out in short gasps. She closed her eyes, calmed her breathing, and wondered, _What am I doing?_ Wallowing. That's what she was doing. Wallowing in self-pity and pain. She was tougher than this. She was going to prove them all wrong. Her father, her mother, Issi, Katar, Thanagar – she was going to prove them _all _wrong. Shayera slowly lifted herself into a sitting position, releasing a painful groan. She could do this. She gave herself a quick mental pep talk before throwing back the covers, revealing her very skinny legs. She slowly swung her legs to side of the bed. Every bone in her body protested the movement, and she could barely move her legs on her own. She placed her feet on the floor, her toes basking in the softness that was Bruce's carpet. "I can do this," she whispered to herself. "I can do this." With the help of her arms, she pushed herself up into a standing position. Her back was on fire, her legs were on fire; a thin sheen of sweat covered her face. But she was standing on her own, fighting through the excruciating pain. She shuffled her right foot forward, then her left. "Baby steps," she whispered. Every tiny step sent a spasm of pain to the place in her back where her wings once connected to her vertebrae, but she ignored it. She was good at ignoring pain. She had done it most of her life. She took another small step forward, this time lifting her foot completely off the floor. Then another. Then another. Then the bedroom door flew open, breaking her concentration, causing her to fall to the floor. She let out a very small yelp as she crumbled. "Shayera." Bruce was by her side in an instant. "What are you doing?" he asked as he began to scoop her up into his arms.

"I was walking," she answered, placing her hands on his biceps in an effort to push him away.

"I can see that. What I mean is, why?" Bruce asked pushing her hands away. "And stop fighting me."

"I can do it myself."

"I'm sure you can, but I don't want to be here all night waiting for you to walk two feet to the bed." Bruce bent down to scoop her up, but she once again pushed him away. "Shayera."

"No, I have to do this myself."

"Shayera," Bruce said again.

"I am not a helpless little bird that needs saving."

"I know you're not helpless," Bruce said pushing her hands away again. "But your body still needs to heal. Just a few hours ago, you were puking up food. You're not ready to walk."

"I'm fine," was the only thing Shayera could think to say.

"Shayera," Bruce studied her, "what's this really about? First, you barely move. Now, it's like you're preparing to run away." Bruce narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you preparing to run away?"

"What? No! Besides, I wouldn't get very far. I just don't want people to see me as helpless."

"People? What people? It's only me, Jason, Tim, and Alfred. And the word 'helpless' is far from our minds when we think of you." Shayera stared down at the burgundy carpet. It really was a nice carpet. She wouldn't mind sleeping here instead of the bed. "They can't win," she whispered. "I won't let them win," Her hands balled up into fists on her lap. Bruce placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Shayera raised her head to look him in the eye. "They won't," he said sincerely. "They won't. You're a fighter, Shayera. What's more, you're a winner. I've seen you take down enemies three times your size. You're not helpless; you're not weak. You're a survivor."

"I don't want to just survive," Shayera said softly.

"I know. But you need to give your body time to heal. Don't push it. You'll do more harm than good."

"Speaking from personal experience?" Shayera asked with a smirk. Bruce gave an affirmative nod. Shayera looked away from his probing stare. His hand remained on her shoulder. "Shayera, you need to let me help you. If you want to get better, you have to allow yourself to be helped."

"I've spent my entire life training to be a perfect soldier. Training to fight through pain. Training to rely only on myself. I don't know how to let myself be helped," she stated honestly while still looking at the floor.

"You can start by letting me help you back into bed." Shayera nodded in surrender, letting Bruce scoop her up in his arms. "How old are you by the way?" he asked.

"What!" Shayera exclaimed. "Why? No, I refuse. Just put me in the bed."

"What?" Bruce asked with a shrug. "It's an honest question. I'm pretty sure the age you told us was a lie."

"No, I don't want to."

"We're going to be spending a lot of time with one another. It doesn't hurt to get to know each other," he said with Shayera still in his arms.

"No," she said looking away.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," he said with a smirk.

"Why am I still in your arms? Do you just enjoy holding me?"

"Maybe I do," he answered. The words Shayera was about to say died on her lips at his admission. Bruce continued to stare at her with an emotion she did not want to put a name to. "What if I like the feel of you in my arms?" he asked in a low, almost breathy, voice. Shayera's heart began to race; her breath began to quicken. She was beginning to hate his stare. "I need clothes," is what came out of her mouth. And at that moment, Shayera prayed for death. Bruce looked like he was holding back a laugh. Shayera bit her lip and looked away shyly. "If I'm going to be here for a while, I'm gonna need my own clothes. I can't keep wearing yours."

"What's wrong with wearing my clothes?" he motioned to his silk pajamas she was currently wearing. "I happen to think you look awesome wearing my clothes. At least, they look better on you than they do on me." Shayera blinked. Now he was just messing with her. "Bruce," she said, "I am seconds from throwing myself out of your arms." He rolled his eyes before placing her gently on the bed. "Thank you," she said.

"I'll have Alfred buy you clothes in the morning," he said before turning to walk away.

"Don't you need to know my sizes?" She asked, dreading the answers. Bruce turned to look at her with a heart-stopping smirk, "I already know your measurements."

"How?" she asked. Bruce simply ignored the question. "I'll be in the other room if you need me," he said, walking to the adjoining room through the bathroom. Shayera stared after his retreating figure, her face as red as a tomato.


	9. Chapter 9

That woman was a hawk. A Thanagarian. An undercover Thanagarian. But a Thanagarian no less. Carter took a sip from his coffee mug, his blue eyes never leaving the hawk who had just turned left into a shady alley. She was short for a Thanagarian. And young. Probably a teen. But what was she doing here? The last time Thanagar sent a spy, they invaded Earth two years later. This wasn't good. Carter stood up from the small table in the coffee shop and slapped down a few bills on the table. He would continue observing from a distance.

* * *

Nope. She refused. Shayera sat on the side of the bed with her arms crossed, eyeing the walking stick leaning against the nightstand. "No," she said to herself. "I'm not going to do it."

"Shayera!" she heard Bruce call from the other side of her closed door. "Are you decent?" Shayera looked down at what she was wearing. Yoga pants and a sweatshirt. "You can come in," Shayera replied. Bruce opened her bedroom door looking immaculate in his suit and tie. "We've been waiting for you. I thought you wanted to join us this morning."

"I refuse to use a walking stick," Shayera said, sticking her lip out in an adorable pout.

"You have to practice walking, and since you can only take two steps before collapsing, ergo the walking stick."

"No. I am not an elderly citizen."

"Old people aren't the only ones who use canes, Shayera," Bruce said looking down at her with humor. "Besides, no one is going to see you. Just me, Alfred, Jason, and Tim. It's not like you'll be out in public."

"No."

"You're being difficult and stubborn."

"Go," Shayera said pointing to the door.

"Shayera – "

"I refuse to use that cane in front of you." Bruce rolled his eyes. "I will be downstairs to see you off to work, _honey_," Shayera said mockingly. Bruce studied her momentarily before turning on his heel and walking out the room. Shayera inhaled and exhaled deeply. "I hate my life," she muttered before reaching for the cane.

Shayera slowly but surely made her way to the dining room. And it only took her 20 whole minutes. Bruce said nothing as she approached the table. He looked at her. He looked at the cane. He then looked down at his breakfast attempting to hid his face. "Lose the smirk," Shayera uttered in annoyance.

"How do you feel?" Bruce asked looking up at her, no trace of a smirk on her face.

"Well, my back no longer feels like it's on fire every time I move. My legs feel weak, but the numbness and shooting pain is gone," she said as she sat.

"A physical therapist will be here late morning."

"What? Why?" Shayera asked as Alfred set a plate down in front of her. "Thank you, Alfred."

"It is my pleasure, Miss Shayera," the kind butler replied, "and may I say, it is good to see you up and about." Shayera gave the butler a small smile before turning her attention back to Bruce. "You have a random therapist coming here to work on me?"

"She isn't a random therapist," Bruce stated. Shayera narrowed her eyes at him before asking, "Did you sleep with her?" While she'd been on bedrest, Jason had provided her with numerous reading materials – all tabloids.

"No, I did not sleep with her. But I do trust her. It seems like your body's healing ability is finally kicking in. I anticipate you to be walking around by yourself by the end of this week."

"You are way too optimistic," Shayera said sticking a forkful of food in her mouth.

"I'm always optimistic when it comes to you."

* * *

Lobo tapped his foot impatiently, in the empty hall, eyeing the two stoic Thanagarian female guards in their gold armor. As much as Thanagarians annoyed him, these two were kind of hot. He'd been trying to get a rise from them for half-an-hour, but they acted like he didn't exist. "Screw this," he was tired of waiting. "Tell her highness that I'm gone," he said, about to leave. Suddenly, the biggest door he had ever seen opened, out came two female Thanagarians and one male. Lobo guessed by the shininess of their armor and the flowing capes, these were the ones calling the shots on this ostentatious planet. He couldn't see any of their faces. _Damned masks_, Lobo thought. "Lobo, I presume," the female walking in front of the two others.

"That's me, darling. Why do y'all have gold wings surrounding your planet? Do you know how hard it is to navigate through those?" They all ignored him, their gazes steady. This is why he hated these hawk people, they thought themselves above every other being in the universe. "I am Lieutenant Issi Hol. I've been told you are the best bounty hunter in the universe. Is this true?"

"Uh…yeah," the audacity of these bird-nosed –

"We have a job for you." A picture of a starling attractive woman appeared on the Thanagarian's wrist hologram.

"Who's this beauty?" he asked. His day was finally getting interesting.

"A disgraced Thanagarian taking refuge on Earth. We need her brought to us alive." Lobo scoffed. Him…take on a Thanagarian by himself? The last time he did that, he couldn't leave his bed for a week. "Don't worry. It shouldn't be too hard," the female said as if she was reading his thoughts. "She no longer has wings."

"No wings? How'd that happen?"

"She needed to pay for her crimes, so we tore them from her back," the Thanagarian stated nonchalantly. _That's messed up, _Lobo thought. "That's…brutal," Lobo said. "How'd she manage to escape you all if she doesn't have wings?" Judging by the downturn of the lieutenant's lips, she did not appreciate his question. "Why does it matter?" she asked.

"Just curious."

"Can you do it?" the lieutenant asked.

"I ain't cheap darling," Lobo said with a smirk.

"Can. You. Do. It," she punctuated each word.

"Yes."

"Name your price," she said.

"I don't want much. Just a sword made from that fancy metal y'all are so protective of." As soon as he said it, the female behind the lieutenant started speaking very fast in a language he did not understand. The lieutenant simply held up her hand, stopping the female mid-sentence. She then said one sentence to the female, not taking her eyes off Lobo for one second. The female turned away begrudgingly and disappeared behind the huge doors; leaving Lobo, the Lieutenant, the lieutenant's male friend, and the two guards in an uncomfortable silence. "You know, I've always wondered something," Lobo said, "do y'all females give birth to live children, or do you squat and lay eggs like a bird?" he teased. Lobo laughed out loud while the Thanagarians said nothing. They didn't even flinch. Thankfully, the doors opened, and the female who had left came back with a long rectangle briefcase. She handed it to her lieutenant, who held it open for Lobo to see. In it was lying the most beautifully crafted, silver sword he had ever laid eyes on it. He slowly and reverently lifted it out of the case. He tested the balance; he swung it around. It was surprisingly really light. Lobo thought it would be heavier. "Satisfied?" the lieutenant asked.

"Immensely," he said, giving her a 100-watt smile. The lieutenant visibly grimaced. So she wasn't made of marble. "When do you need her delivered?"

"A month. Alive."

"Done. See you in a month, bird people." Lobo couldn't wait to get off of this stupid planet and be done with these damn creatures.


	10. Chapter 10

Shayera dismounted from the salmon ladder. She had been at it for 15 minutes. Bruce and the physical therapist told her to take it easy, but she was stubborn. It had been close to 3 months since her wings were torn from her body, and she felt way better. She was walking and running and working out. She had just finished her work out on the salmon ladder. Sure, she missed her wings, but she was strong. She could survive without them. Shayera plopped down on the mat with a bottle of water. Oh who was she kidding? She missed her wings _so _much. She cried herself to sleep most nights because she still couldn't face the fact that her wings were gone. Shayera blinked back a couple of tears. Crying when she was alone by herself in bed was okay; crying out in public was a no-no. What is it that her father used to say? _Tears are a weakness a true warrior cannot afford. _And she was a true warrior. Top of her class. Youngest person to ever make lieutenant in the history of Thanagar. Her father had been so proud. He actually told her he was proud of her when she was promoted. He would hate who she was now. She hated herself, actually. When did she get so weak? She had been molded at a young age to take her father's place as the leader of Thanagar, and she threw it all away for Earth. Shayera lay back on the mat staring at the ceiling. Was it all worth it? Sure, her conscience was clear, but her wings were gone. If she were being honest with herself, she would rather have her wings than a clear conscience; and she was not ashamed to admit it. "Shayera?" Shayera turned her head to the doorway to see Bruce in his own workout clothes. "Alfred said you've been in here since 10 a.m." She just blinked at him. "It's 4 in the afternoon." Shayera sat up and pulled her knees to her chest as Bruce came closer to her. "Why are you pushing yourself?" he asked, his electric blue eyes studying her. He sat down on the mat across from her, their feet almost touching each other. "How was work?" Shayera asked, completely ignoring his question.

"Well...it was work," Bruce said with a smile.

"I can't even begin to imagine how people would react if they knew you were Batman."

"I try not to think about it; though, the boys like coming up with theories." Shayera gave a slight smile, looking down as she pulled her red hair out of its constricting ponytail. It was a little damp with sweat, but…whatever. "How are you doing Shayera?" Bruce asked seriously.

"I'm fine. Like you said, I've been in here working out since 10 a.m. I think my back is completely healed. I can walk and run by myself. I think I'll even be able to spar against you soon," she finished with a smirk.

"I'm not talking about how you're doing physically. I want to know how you are mentally and emotionally." _Crap_. Shayera hated talking about her feelings. She always assumed Bruce did, too. Guess it was a Batman thing. "I'm fine," she said taking another swig of water. "I have come to accept the fact that I no longer have wings."

"Really?" Bruce asked, clearly not believing her. "So, the noises I hear coming from my room at night are just a figment of my imagination?"

"I'm dealing with it, okay?" Shayera spoke harshly. "Why do you even care? It's not like we're friends."

"We could be."

"I don't do friends," Shayera stated.

"I'm sure you had friends on Thanagar," Bruce said.

"I did not." Bruce's eyebrow rose before saying, "I find that very hard to believe."

"Why? Because I was able to get you guys to trust me? Sorry to burst your bubble but that was all an act?"

"You expect me to believe that?" Bruce asked leaning forward. "All of the kisses you shared with John, all of the times you and Diana bonded over girl talk, always making time for Barry – you faked _all_ of that?"

_No. _"Yes," Shayera whispered. Maybe if she told herself enough times that it was an act, it wouldn't hurt so much. "No one is that coldhearted," Bruce said.

"I don't know. I always got the feeling that Batman was a coldhearted psychopath." Now she was trying to get a rise out of him. But he wasn't taking the bait. He simply cocked his head to study her further. "What was your childhood like?" he asked out of nowhere.

"What are you, my therapist?" Shayera asked.

"I could hire one for you if want."

"No, I don't want a therapist. Why do you care about me? What's in it for you?"

"Can't I just be nice to a friend?"

"No." Bruce threw his head back and laughed. He actually gave a real laugh, and Shayera couldn't help but fall in love with him right then and there. "You're as stubborn as I am," he said with a sparkle in his eye. "Shayera, you don't have to guard yourself around me. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Why? I hurt you."

"When?"

"When I betrayed the earth. When I betrayed the team."

"You did, and then you saved us."

"And?"

"And that act alone redeemed you in my eyes." Shayera opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She just stared at Bruce, completely baffled. "What do you want from me Bruce?" Shayera asked in resignation.

"I don't know. All I know is that I like you. A lot. You're…complicated. You hide yourself in plain sight. You let people see what you want them to see."

"I'm not the deep," Shayera said soflty, just now realizing how close Bruce had scooted towards her during this entire conversation.

"You say that, but we both know that's a lie," Bruce pushed her red hair out of her face, but left his hand cupping her cheek. "There is so much more to you, you're covered in secrets. And I intend to uncover each and every one of them," he said slowly leaning towards her.

"Don't play with me," Shayera said, not liking where this was going but at the same time very excited.

"I'm not," Bruce said gently stroking her lower lip with his thumb.

"Master Bruce," Shayera and Bruce immediately pulled away from each other as they heard Alfred through the speaker system.

"He was spying on us, wasn't he?" Shayera asked. Bruce chuckled while walking over the wall with said intercom and asking, "What is it Alfred?"

"I apologize for the interruption, but a Mister Wally West is here to visit Miss Shayera. May I send him down?"

"That'll be fine, Alfred." Bruce turned to see Shayera stand to her feet. Bruce felt a blast of cool air. The speedster was in the room, hugging Shayera. "I am so glad you're okay," Wally was saying into Shayera's hair. "I am so so sorry," he whispered.

"It's okay, Wally," Shayera said into his shoulder.

"I'll give you two a minute," Bruce said turning to walk away.


	11. Chapter 11

Bruce stood in the kitchen, placing a variety of fruits and vegetables into a small blender. "Did I interrupt something, sir?"

"No, Alfred," Bruce said rolling his eyes. "You didn't interrupt anything."

"It looked like I did."

"I don't know why I put so many cameras and screens up in this place," Bruce muttered as he grabbed a glass from the cabinet. Alfred was lucky Bruce loved and respected him, because Alfred's spying was annoying, unnerving, and sometimes a little creepy.

"Don't worry, sir, another opportunity will present itself. I'm sure of it," his butler said animatedly.

"I – what – stop spying on them," he told Alfred.

* * *

Shayera and Wally sat side-by-side. "How are you doing, Shay, really?" Wally asked.

"It was tough in the beginning. It was really painful. My entire body felt like it was on fire all of the time. Nothing seemed to make me better. Bruce and Alfred kept giving me pain meds."

"The good kind I hope," Wally interrupted.

"Yes," Shayera said with a small smile, "the good stuff. I also cried. A lot."

"You?" Wally questioned in disbelief.

"Yeah, I know," Shayera said with a slight chuckle. "It was weird for me, too. But last week I started walking. This week I'm working on getting myself back into shape." Wally nodded before saying, "I am glad you're getting better. Bruce isn't being too much of a pain in the ass, is he?" he asked with a smirk.

"No," Shayera said with a small laugh. "He's been really nice. Extremely nice. Complete opposite of his Batman persona."

"Good. I'm glad." The two sat in a comfortsble silence for a few seconds before Shayera said, "Wally, I am really sorry about the part I played in the invasion. I honestly didn't know-"

"Shayera, no," Wally turned to face her. "I forgive you. Truthfully, I forgave you as soon as you fought for us." Wally pulled her into a hug when tears started to pool in her eyes. He gently rubbed her back.

"I didn't know," Shayera whispered into his shoulder.

"I know," Wally said comfortingly. Once she pulled away, he asked, "So what's next for Hawkgirl?"

"I don't know," Shayera said wiping away a few errant tears. "Am I really worthy of the title "Hawkgirl"? I have no wings."

"Your wings didn't make you Hawkgirl; your fighting spirit made you Hawkgirl."

"No. I'm pretty sure the wings made me Hawkgirl," Shayera said with a laugh. Wally laughed along with her. "I need to get back to Central City. My boss thinks I'm taking a bathroom break."

"Wally!" Shayera said, giving his shoulder a playful smack. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before saying, "I'll be in touch." Then he zipped out the door.

* * *

Bruce found Shayera on her back, lifting weights on the bench press. "I'm assuming the red blur Alfred and I saw on the monitors was Flash leaving." Shayera set the dumbbells down before sitting up. "You were spying on us?" she asked incredulously.

"Alfred likes to keep an eye on things. Anyway, here," he said handing her the blended concoction.

"Again," Shayera moaned. "That stuff is nasty."

"Dr. Chen's orders. Drink up." Shayera did as she was told. "Good chat?" Bruce asked when she was finished. Shayera nodded, her face still scrunched in disgust. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked, as she handed the glass back to him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Bruce said with a dashing smile. "Just be ready to drink another 16 oz. in two hours."

"I hate you," Shayera muttered as she returned to the weights.

"No you don't," Bruce said as he turned to leave, feeling Shayera's glaring daggers into his back as he exited the gym.

* * *

"I told Lieutenant Issi," the young hawk began, "I haven't seen her. I've been stationed here for the past month. Wherever she is, she's keeping a low profile. I don't even think she's in the city." Lobo stared at the young female Thanagarian in front of him. Her name was Shri Kol. She wasn't tall. She didn't even come up to his shoulders. Her skin was dark. He had heard of dark-skinned Thanagarians, but this was his first time seeing one. And as much as he hated Thanagarians, he liked this one. She didn't have that air of arrogance surrounding her. Lobo sniffed the air again. "Naw, little bird, she's definitely in the city. Her scent is weak but present."

"Meaning?"

"She hasn't been outside for a while. But she is definitely in the city. Where have you looked?"

"The sewers. The slums. She can't fly. I figured she'd be laying low. Real low. I was beginning to think maybe she was holed up in Metropolis. But if you say her scent is here, she must be here."

"Her scent is coming from the north."

"I haven't been to the northside of Gotham, yet. Nothing but rich, pretentious _culus _that way."

"Well, she's most definitely in that area."

"Okay. What do you want from me?"

"Nothing. Just stay out of my way, and let the grownups work." The hawkgirl or hawkwoman scowled at him. And damn, if she didn't look cute doing it. "Why don't you wear a mask?" Lobo asked out of honest curiosity. Thanagarians never removed their masks. He had learned that the hard way a long time ago.

"I don't want to," Shri said before taking off into the night sky. Lobo laughed. Okay, maybe not _all _Thanagarians were bad. But enough of that. He had a prey to catch.

* * *

Carter watched the meeting from his hiding place behind the gargoyle. He recognized Lobo instantly. How he managed go get into Earth's atmosphere without the knowledge of any of the leaguers was baffling. But he couldn't dwell on that thought now. He needed to warn someone of Lobo's presence. He needed to find Batman.


	12. Chapter 12

"All quiet on the Western front," Red Hood said into his earpiece.

"I doubt you made it past the cover of that book," Red Robin responded in his ear.

"Haven't you ever heard of _ * _? I will never have to read another book again in my life." Red Robin muttered something in a language Red Hood did not know. "What was that, replacement?" Red Hood demanded.

"Enough you two," Batman interrupted their argument. "If you're done with patrol, go back to the cave." That silenced the two boys. Batman landed on the roof of the highest building in Gotham. He frequented it often. He liked it up here. It was peaceful, quiet; Shayera would love it. Batman than mentally berated himself. Ever since she saved his life a few months ago, he felt like a lovesick teenage boy. He needed to get a grip. He needed to – he was not alone. Someone was behind him. Not right behind him, but behind him nonetheless. Without warning Bruce threw a batarang while turning to face his attacker. "Ow," a voice in the shadows said. "Geez." A hawk…man appeared from the shadows, rubbing his head with one hand and holding a batarang with the other.

"Who are you?" Batman demaned.

"Woah," the hawk held up his hands, dropping the batarang in the process. "I don't want to fight you."

"Why'd you sneak up on me?"

"Honestly, I didn't know how to approach you."

"What are you doing here on Earth?"

"I've actually been here since before the invasion. I defected from Thanagar a long time ago." Batman stared at him silently. The hawkman squirmed underneath Batman's intense glare. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. "May I put my hands down now?"

"No."

"Look, I don't know how else to say this. But there's a female hawk and an intergalactic bounty hunter here in Gotham looking for Hawkgirl." Batman's facial expression gave nothing away. "How do you know this?" Batman demanded.

"I've been following the female hawk for a few days now. Earlier this evening she met with a bounty hunter named Lobo. I don't know why – "

"Lobo?" Batman sounded slightly…worried.

"Yeah. You know him?" Batman didn't respond. "Anyway," the hawkman continued. "For some reason he thinks that Hawkgirl is here in this city."

"So why should I care?"

"Wherever Lobo hunts, a path of destruction follows. If he believes Hawkgirl is in Gotham, he'll have no problem burning the city to the ground to find her." Batman stared at the hawk in front of him, trying to get a feel for him. He seemed to be telling the truth. But there was only one Thanagarian he trusted, and she was at his manor at the moment. "Why should I believe you?" Batman asked.

"You have no reason to believe me. And I'm sorry about what my kind did to your planet two years ago. But my loyalty is no longer with Thanagar. They're crazy and ruthless and scary. I hated living there." Batman stared blankly. The hawkman's body language said he was telling the truth, but if he had learned anything from Shayera, it was that Thanagarians were expert liars. And the stupid masks didn't make it any easier to spot a lie. "Take your mask off," Batman demanded.

"Seriously?"

"I won't tell you again."

"Fine." The hawkman pulled his mask off. Brown hairs and blue eyes. "Hi," he said. "My name is Carter Hol. I work as a curator for the Gotham Museum of Ancient Artifacts."

"Hol?"

"Yeah. It's a very, very common surname on Thanagar. On Earth, I spell it H-A-L-L."

"You can put your mask back on."

"Thanks," Carter said pulling his mask back over his head. "So what are we gonna do about-" He stopped mid-sentence. Batman was gone. He had simply vanished. "Huh," Carter said as he turned around. "That was rude." But he was sure Batman would be in touch soon. He knew Carter's identity after all.

* * *

Bruce ran up the stairs, still in his uniform minus the cowl. As soon as he made it back to the cave, he had hacked into every street camera, every cellphone camera, and every black box and car cameras. A camera located on the outside of a small café on the lower side of Gotham captured the image he was looking for. And as soon as he saw it, he ran. Jason and Tim had stared at him in shock as he sprinted past them in the cave. He ignored their questioning stares and kept running. He didn't stop until he reached his room. He threw the door open. Shayera immediately sat up in bed, body alert, ready for a fight. "What's wrong?" she asked, her wide green eyes staring at him filled with worry.

"Lobo has been spotted in Gotham."

"Crap," Shayera said.

* * *

***instead of SparkNotes I made something up.**


	13. Chapter 13

"Lobo is here?" Wonder Woman asked, not really believing her ears.

"Lobo?" Green Lantern repeated. "You mean that stupid _Main Man _guy?"

"I don't understand," Flash said as he paced back and forth in the batcave. All of the founding leaguers stood in attendance while Shayera sat on swivel chair. It was late…or early. It was close to 3 a.m. and all Shayera wanted to do was sleep. "How the hell did Lobo enter Earth's atmosphere without detection? I thought you guys were keeping an eye out for hostile beings?" Flash directed his question to Green Lantern. Green Lantern responded by cracking his knuckles while simultaneously glaring at the young speedster. "

"Come on, Flash," Superman interrupted, "that's not fair."

"And you said you were monitoring the stars," he pointed at Superman. "What happened?" Flash demanded to know.

"Well, Flash, I _do _require sleep; and I _do _have to eat. Sometimes I even have to go to the bathroom. I can't be everywhere at once. I'm not God," Superman answered harshly.

"There are so many ways to respond to that statement," Batman muttered.

"Flash, now is not the time to point fingers," Wonder Woman stepped forward.

"We're the Justice League. We're better than this. And what's your excuse, J'ohnn?"

"I have none," the Martian Manhunter stated solemnly. "I can only offer my sincerest apologies for my lack vigilance concerning Shayera's safety."

"Well," Flash paused not expecting that response from the martian. "I forgive you."

"Are you guys done yet?" Batman asked in annoyance, "I didn't call you here so you guys can have a petty argument. Lobo is in Gotham. There's nothing we can do about that."

"Do you trust this…Carter?" Superman asked.

"He's not lying about this."

"We're taking the word of another hawk…_again_?" Wonder Woman spat as she glared at Shayera. Shayera only rolled her eyes. Wonder Woman's hostility was getting annoying and redundant.

"I have evidence," Batman said. He walked to his computer and pulled up a picture of excellent quality. It was Lobo meeting with a dark-skinned hawk-person.

"Where'd you get this photo?" Flash asked.

"A café across the street from that alley. After many successful robberies, the owner upgraded his security system with state-of-the-art Wayne Tech."

"An owner of a small café was able to afford high-end Wayne Tech?" Superman muttered.

"It'll surprise you what you can afford when you're _not_ living off a reporter's salary," Batman quipped.

"Really? You're still upset about the computer? I told you I'd pay you back." Batman scoffed.

"How does Lobo even have Shayera's scent?" Wonder Woman questioned, ignoring the two. "You don't think the Thanagarians hired him, do you?"

"Uh…the picture clearly shows him conversing with a Thanagarian. I think it's safe to say the Thanagarians hired Lobo," Flash said with an eye roll. Sometimes, she could be so...ditzy. Wonder Woman opened her mouth to respond to Flash but was interrupted by Shayera. "Can you zoom in on his waist?" Shayera asked softly. Batman gave a nod before zooming in. Lobo had a sword hanging around his waist. A silver sword with a golden handle. Incredible craftmanship. Flash whistled, "Nice weapon."

"It's mine," Shayera stated softly. Batman turned to look at her, along with the other leaguers. "It was given to me on my 10th birthday. My father forged it from a space rock. The handle is made of Nth metal. But the blade itself has been forged from an asteroid. I hid it in my room before I was sent to Earth. Issi must have found it," she finished quietly. "She always wanted my things."

"Well now that we know he has her scent," Green Lantern finally spoke, "what are we going to do? It's only a matter of time before he finds her," he said, looking at Shayera for the first time since this small meeting began.

"I can throw him off her scent," J'ohnn offered. "It won't hold him off for long, but long enough for us to come up with a better plan."

"Good idea," Superman said. "But we should probably move Shayera. Maybe we can smuggle her to Themyscira?" he asked Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman's facial expression said she did not like the thought of Shayera near her in any capacity. "If that's what is best," Wonder Woman growled through gritted teeth.

"Shayera stays here," Batman stated. "Moving her could make it easier for Lobo to track."

"I concur," Martian Manhunter said. "It is prudent for her to stay in one spot while I attempt to draw Lobo away."

"Then it's settled," Flash said. "Shayera stays here; Martian Manhunter does his…thing."

"Yes," Batman said. After a silent pause, Batman said, "You can all leave now." Shayera bit back a laugh. Bruce was definitely an enigma. "Polite as always," Superman muttered as the leaguers filed out. Flash gave Shayera a swift hug before following his teammates out the cave.

* * *

Bruce pulled off his cowl. He was so tired. And he had work in four hours. He really needed to rethink this hero thing. "Are you okay?" Shayera asked him uncertainly. Bruce had honestly forgotten she was there in the chair next to him. "Just tired," he said.

"I'm sorry I've brought all of this to your doorstep," Shayera said apologetically.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Bruce assured her.

"I really think I do," she argued. Bruce only smirked at her before turning his attention to the zoomed in picture on his giant computer screen. "Nice sword."

"Mhmm," Shayera agreed. "It was. It was also the first time my father ever said he was proud of me."

"Are your parents dead?" Bruce asked.

"No. They're still alive," Shayera looked down at her hands.

"Really?" Bruce asked, covering his shock. She always spoke of them in the past tense. "When's the last time you spoke with them?"

"The last time was…" Shayera's voice trailed off.

_"Shayera, you're being ridiculous!" Katar dragged Shayera by her forearm roughly._

_"This is wrong, Katar," Shayera said trying to dislodge her arm from her fiancee's rock-hard grip. "And where are you taking me?"_

_"To someone who'll successfully talk some sense into you." He pulled her into an empty, dark room with a circular stage with a circumference of no more than five feet. A hologram of her father appeared in front of her. And he was _not _happy. Katar left the room, leaving father and daughter to talk. "Daughter," Talov said, "what's this I hear about you having second thoughts?"_

_"Father, I was sent here to scout Earth's defenses and determine their readiness for a war with Gordanians and other enemies of Thanagar. I wasn't sent here to take part in a hostile takeover. That wasn't the plan!"_

_"Remember to whom you speak, child," Talov chastised his daughter. "Don't make me regret choosing you for this mission."_

_"This is wrong. Why are we even doing this? Earth has nothing we want or need. It's not like their weapons or science is superior to ours. On the contrary. They have nothing to offer Thanagar."_

_"Their planet is in the perfect spot for a Thanagarian military outpost as well as interplanetary teleportation."_

_"We're no better than the Gordanians if we do this," Shayera argued. "This is ridiculous."_

_"It is clear now that you have become way too emotionally attached to these humans. Return to Thanagar on the next supply ship. Your sister, Issi, will relieve you."_

_"I cannot do that, Father, I'm sorry."_

_"I am ordering you to return to Thanagar."_

_"I can't. No," Shayera shook her head. "I'm sorry."_

_"If you do this you will be considered _reicio,_ outcast," her father said, his tone conveying what his masked face did not. Shayera turned to run out of the room. She had to stop this. "You will regret this, daughter," was the last thing she heard from her father._

"Shayera?" Bruce stared at her in concern. She had been staring into the distance for the past few minutes. Shayera shook herself out of her memory. "I haven't spoken to my father since Thanagar invaded Earth, and it's been even longer with my mother."

"What was your relationship with your parents like?" Bruce asked genuinely curious. Shayera was getting uncomfortable with this line of questioning. She never discussed this with John, which was just one of the many reasons why a relationship between the two never worked out.

"I was trained by my father to be the next ruler of Thanagar," she stated. Bruce raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Ruler?" he asked.

"Thanagar doesn't have royalty per say," Shayera explained, "instead of kings, we have generals. My father was the general of Thanagar, and I was his heir." Bruce could barely mask his surprise. "You were like a princess," he said. Shayera's face scrunched at the word "princess". "I guess," she said. "But, yeah. I've been training to fight since I could fly." Bruce could imagine a baby Shayera flying and wreaking havoc wherever she went. "I can't imagine a father being okay with his daughter being humiliated the way you have." Shayera shrugged. "It's just how things are on Thanagar. Not only did I defy the General of Thanagar, I also defied my father - who was and still is the General of Thanagar - which is almost just as bad. While those born in a lower caste system have more say over their lives, those born to the ruling caste have little say in their lives. The males are generally in charge of the households. Going against them is unheard of. But it's only like that in the higher caste systems. We have things that are expected of us. Like arranged marriages."

"Ah, the fiancée," Bruce said.

"No doubt my sister's husband by now," Shayera said with her arms crossed.

"Did you love him?" Bruce asked.

"No," Shayera stated firmly. "But he was always nice to me…up until I betrayed my planet."

"Did you love John?" he asked.

"John and my relationship was built on many, many lies told by me. It would not have lasted."

"That's not what I asked."

"I don't know," Shayera said standing to her feet, pacing back and forth. "I don't know what love is or what it feels like. Was there an attraction? Yes. He's a very handsome man. But whether or not it was love, I do not know. Why does it matter?"

"So it wasn't an act?" Bruce asked with a smirk. "It was real?" Shayera immediately thought back to their short conversation in the gym the night before. "I guess it was real," she whispered, more to herself. "But like I said, it doesn't matter. He's happy. He's moved on. There's no use in dwelling on _ifs_ and _maybes_. And again I ask, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Just thinking out loud," Bruce said with a shrug. "You were hurt just as much as we were in this whole debacle. Once they realize how much you suffered, they'll come around. Relationships will be repaired."

"What if I don't want relationships prepared?" Shayera asked with a scoff.

"You don't mean that," Bruce stood taking a step towards her.

"Yeah I do," Shayera said, crossing her arms, her face a steel mask of zero emotion. Bruce studied her carefully. "And not everyone was hurt when I betrayed Earth," Shayera continued. "You weren't." Bruce cocked his head to the side, his bright blue eyes staring at her intensely. She felt like he was staring into her soul. She didn't like it. "What makes you think I wasn't hurt?" he asked softly.

"Because it's you. You're Batman. You don't trust anyone. That's your whole thing." Bruce didn't respond, so Shayera continued to speak. "You mean to tell me _you _were hurt when I betrayed everyone? We weren't even friends. We were barely acquaintances. We might have said a total of 50 words to each other those two years I was with the League." Bruce didn't respond to that statement. Instead, he said, "You were stuck between a rock and a hard place. And if my math is correct," Bruce said, "you were only about 20 years old when we first met you." Shayera's eyes widened in amazement. "Making you around 22 at the time of the invasion." To say she was baffled would be an understatement. "How did you…?" Shayera began to ask.

"I'm a man of many talents," Bruce said, his blue eyes twinkling, the corner of his lips shifting upward in a half smile. "You were really young when you came to Earth." Shayera didn't know what to say to that. "That's a lot of pressure to put on someone so young." He took a small step forward, to which she responded by taking a small step back. "It's what I was trained for," Shayera said, folding her arms, trying to appear confident.

"You've got to stop blaming yourself for this," Bruce whispered, taking another step towards her.

"I lied to gain your trust. And then I basically handed you over to Thanagar. I told them all of your weaknesses," Shayera said as her back hit the railing behind her.

"You didn't know-"

"But I should have," Shayera said turning away from Bruce. "Something inside of me must have known that things were not what they seemed because I didn't give up your civilian aliases - the ones I knew. I never would have thought Batman was a billionaire. But that is beside the point. I've spied on other planets before. There's a reason I was chosen for this mission." The hair on the back of Shayera's neck stood up, alerting her to the fact that Bruce was standing right behind her.

"You gave them our weaknesses, but you didn't give them our identity," Shayera felt Bruce's breath on the back of her hair. It felt so good, and she hated it. "You're not a bad person, Shayera. You deserve a life with friends and relationships." Shayera refused to face him. "I have Wally…and – and J'ohnn," she stuttered.

"And me," Bruce breathed by her ear. Shayera stiffened. How did his breath always smell so good? Bruce put his hands on Shayera's shoulders and turned her body around to face him. Shayera held her head down; her red hair acting as a barrier keeping him out. But Bruce would not be deterred. He cupped her face in his hands and gently lifted her head while softly placing hair behind her ears – and when did he take off his gloves? Shayera tried not to get lost in the feeling his on soft yet rough, calloused hands had on her body. She fought the urge to close her eyes and enjoy the wonderful sensations. "You have me," Bruce repeated.

"I don't deserve you," she said, looking more depressed than Bruce had ever seen her.

"You need to forgive yourself. The guilt will eat you alive if you don't."

"I don't know how," Shayera said softly. "I don't even know who I am anymore. My family has disowned me; I can't be Hawkgirl. I just don't know what to do. It's like when they took my wings, they took my identity, too."

"The wings didn't make you Hawkgirl," Bruce said. Shayera gave a small laugh, remembering Wally saying the exact same words. "The wings are the reason humans called me Hawkgirl. And I loved being Hawkgirl. I loved saving people," she said as tears began to fill her vision. She wanted to look away from Bruce's soft stare, but at the same time, she didn't. "Without my wings, I'm no one. I'm no hero. I can't help anyone. I'm no use to anyone." Her breath hitched as she fought back tears. "I'm not human, I don't belong on Earth; but I can never again set foot on Thanagar again. My life is now meaningless, there is no place for me anywhere."

"There's a place for you here," Bruce said, lowering his head just a little.

"Bruce…" she breathed. She really needed to make him see reason. "There's a place here with me. And Alfred. And even Tim and Jason. You didn't think I was going to kick you out once you fully recovered, did you?" Shayera honestly didn't know what to think. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You're welcome to stay as long as you like. There's plenty of room."

"I can't stay with you forever," Shayera softly argued.

"Yes, you can," Bruce asked, his brilliant blue eyes searching her green ones. "I'm offering." Shayera opened her mouth to argue, but the words died on her lips. "Let me take care of you, Shayera," Bruce said. "Let me take care of you," he repeated before lowering his mouth to hers. Shayera froze…or her brain short-circuited. Something happened, and she lost all motor control. All she could do was stand like a statue while Bruce applied gentle pressure to her lips with his. She didn't know what to do with herself. She then felt her arms wrap around his neck pulling him closer; she felt her lips respond in kind; she felt her soft body press into his hard one; she felt complete and whole and happy. And -_what was she doing? _she thought. When she felt Bruce's lips begin to part her own, Shayera tore herself away from him yelling, "I can't!" She slowly backed away from him while covering her mouth with her hand, creating distance between them. "I'm sorry," she gasped.

"Shayera," Bruce took a small step forward but stopped when she took a step back. "Shayera," he said calmly, "it's okay." His lips were slightly swollen, and Shayera guessed hers were, too. Her face was probably as red as her hair, or so she assumed. "You didn't do anything wrong," Bruce attempted to calm her down.

"I'm sorry," she said again, choking back tears. "I need to go," she said. "I'm sorry," she repeated as she turned and literally ran out the cave. Bruce stared after her. Honestly, Bruce had expected a knee to the groin. Her running away was not a bad omen at all. Bruce took it as a positive sign. She felt something for him; she was just scared. He needed to prove to her she had nothing to be afraid of. She deserved to be happy. He just had no idea how to prove that.

* * *

This was wrong. Either his abilities were weakening or he needed sleep. He was confused - which was his usual state of mind if he was honest with himself. But this was a different confusion. A few hours ago, her scent was leading North. But now, it was leading him West, and it smelled slightly different. Like she was trying to mask it. Smart. Not effective, but it was good try. But if she was trying to cover her scent, that meant she knew she was being hunted. Someone had tipped her off. He needed to have another chat with a certain short, dark-skinned, pretty, Thanagarian. Lobo groaned. He really hated those bird-people.


	14. Chapter 14

Shayera sat on the railing of the balcony to Bruce's room…her room, for the time being; her over-sized sweatshirt her only protection from the brisk, early morning wind. She watched the sunrise in the distance. Bruce had entered the adjacent room and fallen into bed a couple of hours ago. Now she could hear him up and about, getting ready for the day. How he was able to function on two hours of sleep, she did not know. What she did know was that he had most definitely kissed her. And she had liked it. She liked him kissing her, and she hated herself for liking it. She pulled her hands through her hair in annoyance. She needed to talk to someone about this. Usually, she would talk to Diana; but if she appeared before the princess now, Shayera was 100% sure that Diana would run her through with a sword. Actually, Shayera was positive that at one point, the beautiful Amazon harbored feelings for the billionaire. So…there was that to consider. But who was she kidding? She didn't have time for kisses and feelings and emotions. She had Thanagarians, Gordanians, and an intergalactic bounty hunter to worry about. She needed to get back into fighting shape. She refused to sit idly by on the sidelines while the league battled _her _demons. Her demons were her responsibility, no one else's. Feelings of love and desire and emotions can wait. She had a fight to prepare for.

* * *

Bruce stared blankly at the accountant…or manager… person giving the report. He could not care less about what the guy was saying. He was exhausted. Not because he spent his nights fighting thugs, but because he spent his nights tossing and turning in bed thinking about the female in the next room. Bruce had never, not once in his life behaved like a lovesick puppy. He never had to. Girls flocked to him; they followed him in droves. They fought for his attention. Literally. It used to happen all of the time in high school, and a few times in college. Even if he smelled like garbage, girls would still swarm him. He knew this for a fact; he tried it in high school to prove a point to his friends. But now, he was at a loss. He never actually had to _work _for a girl's attention. He didn't know what to do with himself. Also, she ran away after he kissed her. Which was new for him, no female had ever run from him before. They ran to him. And how much longer was this guy going to be talking? They'd been in this conference room for over two hours. It was dinner time, he wanted to go home – and wow was his mind all over the place today. "So what do think, Mr. Wayne?" Bruce stared, just now realizing that all eyes at the conference table were on him; and he had not heard a single word. "Uh…I…"

"What I think Mr. Wayne is trying to say," Lucius Fox spoke up for him, "is that he is excited for this project and would love to hear more about it. If you could drop a business plan off at his office by the end of the day, he would be most pleased."

"Yes," Bruce agreed giving him his award-winning, CEO smile that had fooled so many, so many times.

"Thank you, sir," the presenter all but bowed to Bruce.

"How about we pick this up tomorrow, and we call it a day." The rest of the board agreed and filed out of the room. Only Lucius stayed behind.

"So who's the girl?" Lucius asked once they were alone.

"Excuse me?" Bruce asked.

"I know you well, Bruce. You're good at masking your emotions, but I know you well enough to tell when something is bothering you. I also know the face of a man whose world is being turned upside down because of a female."

"You're not wrong."

"So?" Lucius Fox said grinning, "tell me more. Did you sleep with her?"

"No," Bruce said exasperatedly. "You do know that most of the time I pay women to say I slept with them, right?"

"I know. I know. I'm kidding."

"I did kiss her."

"And…"

"She ran away." Lucius burst out laughing. "Thanks," Bruce deadpanned.

"I'm sorry," Lucius said in between laughs, "I never thought I'd see the day when a girl rebuffed you. Did she _literally_ run away?"

"Yes," Bruce said, a little embarrassed. Lucius laughed even louder. "It really isn't that funny."

"Does Alfred know?"

"Probably. He spies on me all of the time."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Bruce leaned back in his chair in exhaustion. Shayera, the Thanagarians, Lobo – what _was _he going to do?

* * *

_"I don't know what to tell you, Lobo,"_ Lieutenant Issi growled to the intergalactic bounty hunter. _"You should have anticipated how difficult this may get."_

"I thought this bird-girl was an outcast. Now you're telling me the Justice League may possibly be helping her?"

_"I didn't think they would be problem for someone of your caliber," _Lieutenant Issi said via hologram. "_But if you are not up to the task-"_

"I am more than capable of-"

_"Then get it done!" _Lieutenant Issi shouted, obviously enraged. _"And don't contact me again unless you have her in your possession." _With that, Lieutenant Issi cancelled the connection and disappeared. Lobo turned to the silent Thanagarian standing beside him. "Your leader is a piece of work, you know that?" The bird-girl said nothing, she appeared deep in thought. "The Justice League has a shapeshifter. Maybe he is pretending to be her."

"Even if he was, he wouldn't be able to copy her scent."

"I don't know. From the files we have on him, he's pretty powerful…and handsome."

"I have never come in contact with a shapeshifter who could mimic the scent of another."

"Whatever," Shri said with a shrug. "You'd know best." She began to float a few feet off the ground.

"Wait," Lobo said, "what do you do during the day? Where do you hide?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," the female hawk replied with a smirk before taking off into the night sky.

* * *

After ending her call with Lobo, General Trogaar of the Gordanian army appeared on the main screen in the room. "Where is the prize you promised us?" General Trogaar demanded in a gravelly voice.

"You will have your prize as promised," Lieutenant Issi spat at him.

"When!" he demanded.

"When we get her!" Issi yelled. Katar, who had been standing behind her the entire time, rushed forward and said, "Three weeks. We will have her for you in three weeks. The heroes of Earth are hiding her at the moment."

"Then maybe we should pay a visit to Earth," the Gordanian general said.

"It is under our control," Issi said, "your help is unnecessary."

"If – "

"We're done," Issi said cancelling the connection. Katar glared at her before asking, "What are you doing?"

"Leading."

"You cannot just cancel calls with important people like that. We are trying to reach an entente with the Gordians. What you just did can be taken as an insult." Issi rolled her eyes at Katar. "I mean it, Iss," he snapped. "You have to take in account other's feelings-"

"Do I look like I care about anyone's feelings?" she squared up to Katar.

"You need to, or else you will thrust Thanagar into another civil war that we cannot afford!" Katar yelled.

"Do not question-"

"If Shayera were here-"

"Shayera is _not _here! I am! I am in charge! I will be next great ruler of Thanagar!" Issi screamed at him.

"Then stop acting like a petulant child, making enemies wherever you go!" Katar shouted in her face. Issi pursed her lips together. He was right. "What do you suggest I do?" she asked calmly.

"Call the general back and apologize. Tell him if we need help, we will not hesitate to contact him."

"Fine," Issi relented. Katar gave a satisfied nod before turning away from her. "And Katar," she called. Katar turned to face her as she continued. "If you ever compare me to Shayera again, I will not hesitate to kill you."

"You can try," Katar mocked, "but between you and Shayera - we both know who the better fighter is." He left the room. "Aahh!" Issi released an angry scream before ripping off her mask and throwing it against the door Katar had just walked through.


	15. Chapter 15

Finally. He found her. There she was. Sitting on a hill. Wingless. Staring at the full moon. Woefully. He almost felt bad for the bird. Almost. It had taken him awhile. But he had finally tracked her down. "You know, you're a hard bird to find," he said aloud as he walked up behind her. He could have tried to sneak up on her, but she had no wings. Where was she going to go? The wingless female slowly stood to her feet and turned to face him. "You know me?" he asked.

"You're a bounty hunter," she stated matter-of-factly. "Lobo."

"That's me. You had me confused for a bit," he said as the two began to slowly circle each other. "I was all turned around. How did you change your scent?" he inquired. "Honestly. It took me almost four days to find you. That's the longest it has ever taken me to find anyone." The bird studied him with an unwavering stare. It unnerved Lobo. Just a bit. "Enough chatter," he pulled out a pair of high tech, alien handcuffs. "I'm gonna need you to be a good little birdie and put these on."

"Or what?" she challenged.

"Please," Lobo said with a sly grin, "you have no wings. You can't fly. You can't run. I'm surprised you can walk. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"You should do what he says, Shayera," another voice joined them. Shri stepped out from the cover of the trees. "What the – what are you doing here? Are you following me?" Lobo asked.

"Lieutenant Issi requested I follow you as back-up," Shri replied. Lobo rolled his eyes turning back to Shayera. "Look, I am so sick of dealing with you hawks. Can you please come with me?" Lobo pled. "I'm begging. This is me begging." Shayera took a step back, taking a defensive stance. Shri squinted her eyes, studying the disgraced Hawkgirl in front of her.

"If you want me," Shayera bent down, "come and get me." Then she shot off, straight into the air.

"What the-!" Lobo shouted. "I thought you said she couldn't fly!" he screamed, running to his Spacehog.

"She can't!" Shri shouted back, the shock quickly replaced with concentration. "It's not her," she stated as she took off, following the fake Shayera. In hindsight, wasn't the best idea. As soon as she took of straight into the air, the fake Shayera caught her by the neck. The fake Shayera's eyes glowed green for a split second. "You have a very powerful mind," a very deep, masculine voice came from the Shayera impersonator throwing Shri completely off guard. "It is almost as powerful as Shayera's. Almost." Before she knew it, Shri was face-to-face with the shape shifter. Gosh, she thought, what was that four-letter word humans used when something unexpected or unpleasant happened. Oh yeah. She remembered it. "Fuck," she gasped as she stared into the red eyes of The Martian Manhunter.


	16. Chapter 16

J'ohnn could feel the Thanagarian try to quell her rising panic. Even without their Nth metal masks, Thanagarians were very hard to read telepathically. Though, this one's mind was not as powerful or as sharp as Shayera's. He should be able to break through her defenses with relative ease. Before he could form another thought, he felt a chain wrap around his foot and yank him back down. J'ohnn didn't have a chance to brace for impact. He hit the ground hard, also losing his grip on the young hawkgirl. "I heard there was a martian on Earth, I just assumed it was a myth." J'ohnn slowly stood to his feet, as he phased through the chain. "I thought your entire race had been wiped out," J'ohnn turned and faced Lobo, still keeping a mental eye on the hawkgirl who had flown to Lobo's side. "But look at you," Lobo said as he pulled something from his back pocket. "You must be the last martian. Ever." J'ohnn allowed his hands to morph into scythes. To her credit, the young female hawk took a small step back. But Lobo released a laugh. "Now, is it just you or is it your entire race that has an allergy to fire?" Lobo asked as he held up a…grenade launcher? "Let's find out." He pulled the trigger and a fireball/grenade – J'ohnn didn't have the time to contemplate what it was – because a ball of fire was heading right towards him. He expertly dodged the firey onslaught. As Lobo fired one after the other, J'ohnn bobbed and weaved and dodged every single one. But he was immediately attacked by Shri, brandishing a sword. J'ohnn responded by transforming his arms into scythes blocking every swing and parry by Shri. The girl was good, J'ohnn gave her that. But fortunately, she was still on the defense. He sensed/heard the trigger of the gun was able to become intangible, allowing Shri to get hit by the projectile. "Aahh!" she screamed as she flew back, a few trees breaking her fall. "What are you doing!" she screamed at Lobo, as she slowly tried to stand back up.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he said as he took aim again. "Forget this," Lobo said dropping his weapon. He grabbled his chain whip, which he immediately lit on fire. He immediately began whirling it around trying to hit the moving target. "Why won't you just stand still?" Lobo grunted. Then, J'ohnn disappeared. "Aww, crap," Lobo said, realizing his predicament. He began to back up slowly. "Where'd you go?" Lobo asked, pulling out a blow torch that resembled a gun. "When I find you…" his voice trailed off as he looked through his blow torch/gun's scope. Shri had recovered and was now looking around desperately for the invisible man while gripping the handle of her sword with both hands. "Why didn't you tell me he could become invisible!" Lobo demanded of the bird.

"I thought you were the _Main Man _who knew everything about _everything!" _Shri shouted back. Lobo growled under his breath. Did he mention how much he hated hawk-people. Lobe then froze. He didn't mean to freeze, but he literally could not move. And he was having a hard time breathing. It felt like something was slowly wrapping around this arms, legs, and torso, constricting his movements. He looked down at his body, his neck straining. There was nothing there. His weapon suddenly flew from his hand and away from him. "What the…!" he gasped as the martian manhunter slowly appeared in front of him face-to-face, wrapped around his entire body like a python. "What…are…you?" Lobo gasped.

"You're after a friend of mine," was all J'ohnn said. "I cannot allow you to go free."

"I'm just…doing my…job," Lobo struggled to speak. "The Thana…garians –"

"Will be dealt with accordingly-" J'ohnn was cut off when he felt small, yet strong arms wrap around his neck, putting him in a chokehold. He immediately released his hold on Lobo, focusing on the constricting arms cutting off his air flow. Lobo, no longer restrained, turned and began to land punch after punch into J'ohnn's gut. J'ohnn used one of his arms to successfully hold Lobo at bay while still trying to release himself from the young Thanagarian's hold. "You're starting to piss me off," Lobo said picking up the blow torch he had dropped. The flames shot out of the pistol-like object, engulfing the manhunter's face. J'ohnn released a dreadful roar as he flew back, Shri still on his back. But J'ohnn had blindly flew them both backwards into a tree, effectively knocking Shri out. J'ohnn continued smacking his face, trying to extinguish the flames that were no longer there. He stopped when he felt a heavy weight on his chest. Lobo had placed his heavy boot on J'ohnn's chest, and J'ohnn was now staring down the barrel of a blow torch gun. "Man," Lobo said, "you, the Kryptonian…fire and a pebble is all that's needed to bring y'all to your knees. It's pathetic. Now, why don't you save me the tro—_Umph!_" The weight was suddenly off of J'ohnn's chest. He slowly raised himself up onto his elbows to see a flurry of wings, a mace, and fists. Next thing he knew, Lobo was scrambling away, and a tall Thanagarian was walking towards him. J'ohnn quickly stood to his feet. "I'm Carter Hall," the Thanagarian said holding his hand out to J'ohnn. J'ohnn stared blankly at the masked birdman. "Are you hurt?"

"No," J'ohnn stated eyeing the Thanagarian. "I wasn't aware of any other Thanagarians on Earth."

"Well," Carter said scratching the back of his head nervously. "Actually - "

"Mmm," a soft moan interrupted the two males. They both looked down to see Shri regaining consciousness. She blinked her eyes a couple of times. Her face than contorted into a scowl as she swore in Thanagar. "Crap." Issi was going to _kill _her.


	17. Chapter 17

Bruce paced back-and-forth in front of the dark-skinned Thanagarian sitting in his computer chair, glaring at her through his cowl. Today was not his day…or night…or whatever. It was 3 a.m., and he had a board meeting in 4 hours. Maybe he should cancel. "What should we do with her?" the chatty birdman asked. Bruce shot a glare in his direction. "_We _aren't going to do anything," Bruce replied, emphasizing the _we_. "You are going to leave, and J'ohnn is going to wipe your memory."

"What!" Carter exclaimed, taking a step back from both Batman and the Martian. "What if I promise to never show up unannounced?" Bruce said nothing. "C'mon. I won't tell anyone about the Batcave, I swear," Carter begged.

"I'll take care of him when we leave here," J'ohnn said. "But what about her?"

"Are you able to read her mind?" Bruce asked.

"It will take some time, but her mind is not as powerful as Hawkgirl's." Shri rolled her eyes. "I know the _vipera_ name is Shayera," she growled. "No need to use her alias or whatever." Carter started at that. "Listen you little-" he began. But Bruce held up a gloved hand, silencing the angry hawk man. "Can you please show him the exit?" Bruce asked J'ohnn.

"Certainly," J'honn stepped up. "Mr. Carter, if you would."

"C'mon guys!" he exclaimed once again. "I'm part of this, too. I can help."

"You already have," J'ohnn said. "And I thank you for the assist. But for now, please come with me." Carter opened his mouth to protest once more, but the Martian Manhunter cut him off. "Do not make me make you," J'ohnn said. "I will." Carter turned to follow J'ohnn out the cave, all the while mumbling, leaving Batman alone with the small, scowling Thanagarian. He needed to figure out what he was going to do with her. He couldn't leave her here. She would be tracked.

* * *

Lobo doubled over in an abandon alleyway, doing his best to stick to whatever shadows were left. He gripped his screaming rims through his thick leather vest. He almost had his ass handed to him. He...had not been expecting that. His commlink went off. He immediately rolled his eyes when he recognized who it was that was trying to contact him. "Yes?" he greeted the Thanagarian.

_"Well," _Issi growled impatiently. "_Do you have her?"_

"No. And that Shri bird got caught."

_"What do you mean, she was caught?" _Lieutentant Issi growled at the bounty hunter.

"A shapeshifter was mimicking her scent. A Martian." Issi swore. "Also," Lobo continued, "there's another hawk here on Earth. And I don't mean the small one you have following me around – the one that was just caught. I mean a full-grown male hawk. Wings and masks."

_"I will look into it. Anything else?" _Issi demanded.

"Now that I know the Martian's scent, locating Hawkgirl should be easier. Actually, I can just trace the little bird's scent. They probably took her to wherever they are hiding Shayera."

_"Then why are you wasting your time calling me? Go get her!"_

"Easy, Your Highness," Lobo mocked. "That Martian packs a punch. I took a few hits. I need at least a few hours to recuperate. I'll get you your prize."

_"This is your last shot. The next time you contact me, it better be good news." _Lobo furrowed his brow. "I don't take too kindly to threats," he said.

_"And I do not take too kindly to incompetent bounty hunters wasting my time! So, unless you want to feel the wrath of the entire Thanagar army, capture Shayera, and bring her to me. You have a week!"_

"Hey, that was not-" but Issi cancelled the connection, causing Lobo to release a string of curse words in about 10 different languages before accosting an innocent garbage container sitting in an alley. He really, really hated Thanagarians. He couldn't wait for this job to be over. He also realized, he needed to call the lieutenant back. He was gonna need a distraction.


	18. Chapter 18

Shayera shuffled from one foot to the other. She once again found herself in a lift, at Justice League headquarters, with Batman. Things hadn't been too awkward between them. Actually, Bruce seemed to have forgotten about their kiss. Not that they had time to talk about their kiss. It had been about 20 hours. And in those 20 hours Bruce had gone to work, J'ohnn had fought Lobo, and now they were at the Watchtower where a Thanagarian was being held for questioning. Bruce and Shayera stepped out of the lift simultaneously. It had been three months since she had last step foot in this place, and it hadn't ended pleasantly. As they walked the halls, many of the younger leaguers stared at her in confusion, shock, curiosity, or hatred. She didn't care. They couldn't hurt her anymore than she already had been hurt.

"Shayera!" Batman and Shayera stopped walking. "Oof!" Shayera exclaimed as she felt a body out of nowhere crash into hers, nearly knocking her off balance. "Easy, Flash," Batman said.

"Hey, Flash," Shayera said to the redheaded speedster hugging her.

"You look way better than when I last saw you," he said, holding her at arm's length. "Your cheeks have gotten chubbier," he said squeezing one of them. "Isn't that right, Bats? Look." Batman cleared his throat in response. "You look really good, Shay. Like, your hair has its bounce back. It was really dull and lifeless when I last saw you." Shayera put a hand subconsciously to her ponytail. Had she really looked that bad? She had been avoiding mirrors as of late. She honestly had no idea what she looked like these past few weeks.

"We're here to see the Thanagarian," Batman said as he kept walking.

"Ahh. That little girl is stubborn," Flash fell into step with Shayera and Batman. "She hasn't uttered a single word since J'ohnn brought her in. She hasn't asked for food or water or to gone to the bathroom. You guys do go to the bathroom, right?" Flash asked Shayera.

"Yes, Flash, we go to the bathroom," Shayera responded incredulously.

"Just wondering," he replied back with a shrug. "I don't recall ever seeing you go to the bathroom." Shayera knew, she just knew, Bruce had to be rolling his eyes underneath his cowl. "Flash," Shayera said, "what…why….just because you don't see – I can't with you right now."

"I'm just saying," Flash said as they all three intered a room. It looked like your average interrogation room you would see at a police precinct save a few differences. The room was separated by one-way glass. But the room the interrogation took place in had monitors and different AI tech built into the walls. These computers read micro-expressions and body language in real time with a 99.99% accuracy. The room on the other side of the glass was home to computers that processed the results in real time, courtesy of Cyborg. And the area was big. It was wide enough to hold 7 Supermen if necessary. Shayera was expecting the room to be empty, but that was too much to hope for. Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern all stood in the dark room, staring at the screen and monitors. But all three turned to look at her when she walked in. Superman looked uneasy; Wonder Woman looked enraged; and Green Lantern looked at her with indifference. Shayera looked away. She deserved whatever animosity was being sent her way. "What is she doing here?" Wonder Woman huffed.

"Diana," Superman stated calmly, "we talked about this."

"We don't have time for this again," Batman interrupted the two. "Do you recognize that Thanagarian in there?" he asked Shayera. Shayera turned to look at the dark-skinned Thanagarian. J'ohnn was sitting across from her at the moment. The Thanagarian was maskless, she looked annoyed, and Shayera recognized her instantly. "I do," she turned to look at Batman. "Her name is Shri. I was once her CO."

"Great," Wonder Woman muttered, "another person she directly betrayed."

"You know, you don't _have _to be here," Flash pointed out to the Amazon. "No one is making you stay here against your will." Wonder Woman scowled back at him.

"Think she might talk to you?" Batman asked Shayera, ignoring Flash and Wonder Woman.

"I can certainly try," Shayera said. She walked to the door connecting the two rooms together.

"We'll be watching and listening in here," Batman said in reassurance.

"So don't try anything," Wonder Woman sneered. Shayera ignored her and walked into the room. J'ohnn and the Thanagarian immediately turned to her. Judging from Shri's expression, she recognized her. "It is good to see you up and about, Shayera," J'ohnn said. "Would you like me to leave or stay?"

"I don't really have a preference," Shayera said a bit uneasily.

"I'll leave," he stood up from the chair before phasing through the floor. Shayera sat down in the now vacant chair and stared at the girl she had once trained. They held each other's gaze for a few minutes before Shri spoke up. "I barely recognize you without your wings. What's it like?"

"It takes some getting used to." Shri looked at her own reflection past Shayera's shoulder. "They're listening and watching on the other side of that glass, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Shayera saw no point lying to the scout, "but that's more for me."

"Right," Shri said with a smirk, "you're a traitor in their eyes. What's that like," Shri's blue eyes bore into Shayera's green ones, "knowing that no one in the universe really wants you?"

"I wouldn't say the universe," Shayera muttered.

"Your family disowned you. You officially no longer exist on Thanagar. Your birth records have been completely eradicated. I went to your home. There are absolutely no pictures of you anywhere. Your room was burned down and then sealed shut. General Talov no longer has two children. He only has one, and that is Lieutenant Issi." Shayera said nothing. The reality of her situation once again setting in. "All of those medals, all of those awards, have been given to Issi. Your name has been wiped off every plaque. You literally do not exist anymore on Thanagar. Anyone who is named after you had their names changed. The name '_Shayera'_ is now a mute word."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Shayera asked, trying to hide her annoyance…and her pain.

"Because I want to know, was it worth it?" Shri cocked her head to the side, studying the woman who was once her CO. "You saved Earth, but what do you have to show for it. Earth hates you; you lost your wings; you lost your family; you lost your identity; you are no longer a Thanagarian, and you are not human. What are you?" Shayera pursed her lips together. She had been asking herself that very same question as of late. "You saved a bunch of weak, measly humans. And for what? They slaughtered your character. Your so-called teammates served you up on a platter. All of those people on Earth saved, and none of them even thanked you. So I ask you once again: was it worth it? Were _they_ worth it?"

"It was the right thing to do," Shayera said.

"For who?" Shri countered. "They all had lives they got to return to. You returned to nothing. You became insignificant. You could be standing in front of your parents right now, and they would look right through you. I would say you're dead to everyone, but even the dead get funerals and memorials at least a name in history. You were literally there one day and gone the next."

"Can you just tell them what they want to know?" Shayera refused to show weakness….or tears.

"I just wanted to see you - Thanagar's pride and joy," Shri mocked. "The next great leader of Thanagar, with wings given to her by the gods. It would have been better if you had been dishonorably discharged from the military or disowned by your family. At least then, you would have the chance of working your way back into their good graces." Shayera just stared silently at the young hawk in front of her, showing no emotion. "You guys know what I know. Lobo is hunting you. He is supposed to return you to Thanagar. There you will be given to the Gordanians."

"Do you know what they'll do to me?" Shayera asked Shri. "The Gordanians?"

"Horrific experiments. Rape you. Beat you. Torture you," Shri said with no more than a shoulder shrug. "Your father is the one that negotiated the agreement with the Gordanians."

"Wait…what?" Shayera asked not quite believing her ears. "He wouldn't-"

"He did. And your sister is in charge of making sure everything goes smoothly. You know the Gordanians – they have always wanted to dissect a Thanagarian." Shayera was going to be sick. "So General Talov, your father, said if he handed them a Thangarian, would the Gordanians leave Thanagar alone. It is an exchange. You for peace. That's the endgame here. The Gordanians get you, they leave Thanagar alone."

"And when they're done with me?" Shayera asked. Shri shrugged. "Your father has washed his hands of you, though, there probably will not be much of you left by the time the Gordanians have finished with you. You know how barbaric they can be." Shayera gulped before shakily standing to her feet. "I'm ready to talk to one of those heroes now," Shri said. Shayera stiffly turned and walked out of the room, entering the dark room where her ex-colleagues stood. The looks on their faces were…well, she couldn't really see the looks on their faces. Tears were blurring her vision. "Shay," Flash stepped forward.

"She's willing to talk to one of you," Shayera said in a shaky voice.

"Shay," Flash said, his voice thick with emotion.

"I'll be in the hall if you need me," she said, briskly walking past Batman and Flash. Shayera rushed out the room. Thankfully, the halls were empty. She went and stood in front of one of the many huge windows at the stars in outer space. So this is what her life had come to. She had no purpose. No reason for living. She didn't want to end up with the Gordanians. She couldn't hide out on Earth forever. It was only a matter of time before the Gordanians or Lobo found her. Maybe she could find a boom tube to teleport her to the other side of the universe. She had no idea where she would find one, but…she was running out of options. "You okay?" Shayera heard a deep voice ask her. She turned around, surprised to see John standing a few feet away from her. "You looked like you were about to be sick," he said taking a few steps closer to her. Shayera was both surprised and a bit caught off guard. "I'm fine," she said in a clear, firm voice. "You can go back in there." John studied her for a few moments before turning on his heel. He took a few steps forward before suddenly turning to face her again. "You really did a number on me…on all of us." Shayera looked down at her feet. She was so tired of apologizing. The words _I'm sorry _were beginning to sound redundant. "Was any of it real?" She swallowed thickly. She did not want to have this conversation…ever.

"Does it matter?" she asked. "You seemed to have recovered just fine."

"I need to know," John said, taking another step closer to her. Shayera began playing with her fingers. "I liked you, John, truly I did. I don't know if it was love, but there was a definite attraction there."

"And now?" John said standing almost in her space. Shayera looked up into John Stewart's light brown eyes. His emotions were always so visible and easily read. Which is why it was so easy to manipulate him. "I think," Shayera began slowly, "if I wasn't who I was…a traitor…I think you and I would have had a wonderful life together." John's face softened exponentially. He was no longer looking at her hard or indifferently. He was looking at her with a different type of softness than what she was used to seeing from him. "You're not a traitor," John said taking a step back from her. "Just misguided. The others will come around."

"That's what Batman said," Shayera said with a small smile.

"Yeah, it's annoying and a bit unnerving how correct and insightful he can be at times," John said thoughtfully. Shayera gave another small smile. "I'm gonna go back in there," John said before turning and walking away. Shayera turned to stare back out the window at the stars. That…had not been painful. She expected him to yell at her, curse at her, maybe even swing at her. Life really was full of surprises. _Wait, someone was – _"How long have you been there?" Shayera asked not turning to look behind her. Batman came out of the shadows to stand next to her. "I left the room shortly after you did," he stated. "I learned everything I needed to while you were talking to her. Shayera," he turned to look at her. "The Gordanians won't get to you."

"And if they threaten Earth? If they give Earth an ultimatum. Me or war?" Shayera looked into his masked eyes with tears still being held back. "You're going to have to give me to them."

"No," Batman said as if it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

"I am not worth losing a planet over. If they come here-"

Batman grasped her forearms firmly and said, "If they want you, they will have to go through me."

"Bruce," Shayera whispered his name in a desperate attempt to make him see sense, "I'm not worth it."

"If they want you, they are going to have to fight for you," Batman crossed his arms, taking a stance that clearly said the conversation was over.

"Careful, Batman," Shayera said with a smirk, "you're feelings are starting to show."

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked her point blankly.

"I – uh – I –" Shayera had no idea how to respond to that. This was her second time in the past 10 minutes that she had been taken off guard. She really needed to get her act together.

"Are you two done doing…whatever it is that you're doing?" both heroes turned to look at Flash who leaning against the doorway, watching them with a bemused expression. "Clark wants to discuss next steps."

* * *

"Well, what now? The Gordanians, Lobo, and Thanagar – we can't fight a war on three fronts," Wonder Woman said. They had all moved to a meeting room that held one table surrounded by seven chairs. Shayera sat uncomfortably in between Batman and Flash. Her chair was also directly across from Wonder Woman who openly stared at her with hostility.

"Then we don't," Batman said in his deep, gruff voice that Shayera now found oddly comforting. And that thought scared her. "We deal with each of them one at a time."

"That is prudent," Martian Manhunter concurred. "Divide and conquer. Lobo is the easiest to deal with as he is already on Earth."

"How?" Green Lantern asked. "The guy dresses like an idiot, but he can go toe-to-toe with Superman on his best days. We've seen it."

"We catch him on one of his off days," Flash said. The rest of the founding leaguers, except for Shayera, audibly groaned.

"Can you please contribute something…useful?" Wonder Woman asked. Flash glared at her.

"Dolphins," Shayera spoke up. The leaguers turned to stare at her questioningly. "Oh look, she's lost it mentally," Wonder Woman deadpanned. Shayera rolled her eyes before continuing. "When I was studying on Thanagar – "

"To betray us no doubt," Wonder Woman interrupted her.

"Diana," Superman shot her a warning look. "Please continue, Shayera."

"There was a footnote in a scout's report. Lobo has shown a peculiar liking to space dolphins in the past." Green Lantern slammed his hand on the table, surprising everyone, except Batman. "Why didn't I think of that?" he muttered to himself. "I went to a gathering of Lanterns on Oa last year. I overheard this lantern complaining that Lobo constantly kept trying to break into various districts and kidnap space dolphins in an effort to liberate them."

"Then that's what we use. Space dolphins," Superman said.

"You're kidding," Wonder Woman disagreed. "That is ridiculous."

"Yeah," Flash spoke up. "Where are we going to find space dolphins?"

"I know a guy," Green Lantern responded. Martian Manhunter looked up sharply. "No," he said, "not that guy."

"We have to ask him. He's the only one who knows," Green Lantern explained.

"Who are you guys talking about?" Flash asked.

"Guy Gardner," Batman said with a painful moan, echoed by the rest of the leaguers.

"Don't worry," Green Lantern reassured his teammates. "I'll deal with him."

"Well, that takes care of Lobo," Superman said. "That leaves the Gordanians and Thanagarians."

"Once Lobo is out of the way, there's a chance that the Gordanians and Thanagarians will team up to get Shayera," Martian Manhunter said.

"You think Earth may become another battleground?" Wonder Woman asked worriedly.

"It's possible," Superman said with a shrug. "What do you think?" he asked Batman, who had been sitting in silent contemplation.

"I think we prepare for another war. Once Lobo is out of the picture, we need to keep round the clock surveillance on Earth. All hands-on deck."

"All right," Superman nodded in agreement. "Now, what to do about the Thanagarian sitting in the other room?" After a few more minutes of discussing and planning, the meeting finally ended. Batman and Shayera once again ended up alone in the Watchtower's lift. "We need to work on getting you back into fighting shape," Batman said as soon as the doors to the lift closed.

"I am in shape," Shayera argued, crossing her arms, slightly offended.

"I mean fighting shape. Sparring against Jason and Tim will only get you so far. You will spar with me from now on."

"Oh," she said, her face a perfect picture of calm, giving nothing away to show the uneasiness and butterflies she felt in her stomach. "Well, don't go easy on me," she said, trying to exude both toughness and confidence. Batman turned to look at her with a heart-melting, devilishly handsome, and – dare she say – panty-dropping smirk. Was it hot in here, or was it just her? "I don't plan to."


	19. Chapter 19

"Alright. You ready, Shayera?" Bruce asked as he and the former Hawkgirl circled each other on the sparring mats.

"Don't go on easy on me, Bruce," Shayera said.

"Wasn't planning on it," Bruce said with a smirk as he lunged for Shayera. She blocked his attack, only for Bruce to sweep her legs. She landed on her back with a _thud._ "Ow," she said.

"You okay?" Bruce asked with slight concern.

"I'm fine," Shayera said jumping back to her feet before throwing a series of punches, uppercuts, and elbows. Bruce blocked them all. "You're a little rusty," Bruce said as he blocked yet another punch before twisting her arm behind her back in a painful hold. "I remember you being better than this." Shayera expertly released her arm from Bruce's grip. "You used to be as good me," Bruce mocked.

"Don't worry," Shayera said, holding her fists up, "I still am." She swung at Bruce, who expertly dodged every punch thrown. Shayera swung again – a fist Bruce easily caught. He whirled her around, placing her in a rear naked choke. Her back was against his front, and she froze. She could feel every single muscle in his chest and stomach. Bruce put more pressure on her neck, but Shayera remained stiff. "Shayera?" Bruce asked, relaxing his hold. Shayera returned to reality. She expertly escaped the hold, and before Bruce knew it, Shayera had him in the same exact choke hold…only he was on his knees. "Do you yield?" Shayera breathed into his ear. Bruce responded by rolling on the mat, bringing Shayera with him. After grappling on the ground, Bruce was able to get her into another submission hold. His entire body weight was on her. One arm was pinned between their bodies, and the other was locked in Bruce's powerful grip. "Yield," Bruce's breathless voice rumpled deep in his chest. Shayera felt it on her stomach. "Yep," she croaked out. Instead of getting off of her, Bruce swung his leg over her body and straddled her. Shayera looked up at him curiously. "You know, this is the worst position to be in. I could just bridge and throw you off of me."

"Why haven't you yet?"" Bruce all but purred, stretching over her, their faces inches apart. Shayera held his blue gaze and inhaled deeply. "Good point," she said as she bridged, affectively throwing him off her, allowing her to escape. She immediately jumped to her feet and resumed her fighting stance. "Good," Bruce said as he picked himself up of the map. He then walked over to a bo staff rack and grabbed two, tossing one to her. "I know a staff isn't your usual weapon of choice –"

"Don't worry," Shayera said as they once again began circling each other. "I know how to use one. Don't go easy on me," she said.

"I won't," Bruce said as he attacked once again. And once again, Shayera found herself on the defensive, blocking instead of attacking. She hated being on the defensive. Absolutely hated it.

_"Come on, Shayera!" the 10 year-old heard her father scream at her from the edge of the mat. "Issi is younger and smaller than you! Stop playing defense! Get on the offense! Do something! Stop reacting!" She attempted to hit Issi with her bo staff, but Issi blocked her easily. "Concentrate, Shayera!" Issi swung, attempting to hit Shayera in the head, but Shayera ducked and swept her younger sister's feet. Issi hit the mat with a thud. Before she could get up, Shayera had kicked Issi's staff away from her, and she had her own staff a few inches from her sister's face. "No! No! No!" her father ranted, stomping up to the two girls. "Why are you stopping?" he demanded of his eldest._

_"She was already down," Shayera began to explain._

_"And?" Shayera didn't have a response for that. "You don't stop attacking until the enemy is dead or surrenders. And once they surrender, you make sure they are never able to fight again."_

_"But Issi isn't my enemy," Shayera said looking at her younger sister who was glaring at her through her mask. "She's my sister," Shayera continued._

_"Not in here when we are training. When we are training, you are rivals. Now finish her off!" her father demanded. Shayera's eyes snapped to Issi's and then back to her father's. "B-b-but," she stuttered._

_"That is an order," her father growled. Shayera shakily raised her staff above her head, prepared to deal Issi a final blow. "Now, Shayera," her father said again. But after a few seconds, Shayera dropped her arms to her side and hung her head. Issi gasped in shock. No one disobeyed an order from General Talov. No one. In the next second, General Talov had picked up Issi's fallen staff and began attacking Shayera with all of his might. Shayera blocked and dodged her father's attacks, her small wings doing everything in their power to help maneuver her. "Only the weak run from a fight!" her father yelled as his staff made contact with her small wrist. Shayera ignored the sickening crack and continued to block. "You are not weak!" He swung hard, his staff connecting with hers, the vibrations from the impact sending a wave of pain shooting up her arm. "You are strong!" his bo sliced through the air, barely missing her face. "And when I give you an order, your will obey!" Shayera heard and felt a crack to her skull right before she crumbled to the ground, succumbing to darkness._

"Shayera?" Shayera heard a voice in the distance. "Shayera?" _Snap! Snap!_ Shayera shook her head, returning to the present. Bruce was gazing at her with worry. "You okay?" he asked. Shayera looked around. She was standing with her bo staff up at the ready. "Um…" she said, dropping her weapon. Bruce came and stood right in front of her, close enough for her to see thin beads of sweat decorating his neck. And, _wow…what a neck, _Shayera thought to herself. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern and confusion.

"What happened?" she asked, looking up into his deep cerulean eyes.

"We were sparring. All of a sudden you froze. Out of nowhere."

"Huh," Shayera said taking a small step away from him, while awkwardly scratching the back of her neck.

"Maybe we should take a break."

"No, Bruce, I'm fine," Shayera argued.

"We've been at it for over three hours," he countered, as he walked over to a bench, p;icking up his bottle of water.

"No, I'm fine. Lobo and the Gordanians are out there. I have to be ready."

"We will be ready. But you need a break. And that's saying something coming from me," he said with a chuckle as he sat down and began wiping himself off with a towel. Shayera shook her head no. "No, Bruce, let's continue –" her voice broke. Was she about to start crying?

"Shayera, you don't want to push your body," Bruce stated calmly. "You're still recovering."

"We need to keep at it."

"We can continue sparring tomorrow," Bruce said, staring at her in bewilderment, not quite understanding what was going on.

"We can continue now," she said.

"Shayera – "

"Bruce," Shayera placed her hands on her hips.

"What is going on with you? I'm just suggesting we take a break," Bruce said as he stood up, trying to make her see reason.

"I don't need a break," she argued.

"Yeah, you do."

"I'm not weak." Bruce paused. He studied her for a moment. "Shayera," he said. "I know you're not weak. I do _not _see you as weak. You are one of the strongest people I know. You know that don't you?"

"I…I just," Shayera stuttered as Bruce approached her. "I'm not weak," she said in a whisper. Bruce reached up and gently cupped her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. "I know that," he assured her softly. "But I do think you're tired. And a little stressed." Shayera opened her mouth to argue, but the longer she stared into Bruce's eyes, the more relaxed she began to feel. His eyes promised her safety and security and a whole slew of other things she had not felt in…ever. She felt her body began to move closer to him of its own volition. She really wanted a repeat of what happened two nights ago. But sensibility won out in the end. She slowly backed away from him and said, "You're right. I'm tired. And hungry. We should take a break." She swallowed thickly. She automatically began to miss his touch as soon as she moved her face away from his hand. "Well," he said, giving her a small smile. "Let's see what Alfred decided to cook, shall we?" He motioned to the door with his head.

"I'll be up in a second. I need to go to the bathroom." Bruce nodded before exiting the gym. Shayera walked into the bathroom and cried.


	20. Chapter 20

"This is _not _a good idea, Issi," Katar said to his pacing wife. "The league made it very clear that-"

"I know what the league said!" Issi whirled around to face her husband who was relaxing in a chair. "I was there!"

"Lobo will-"

"Lobo has proven useless," she resumed her pacing. "Asking us to help him do I job I already paid him for!"

"We cannot go to Earth. They will interpret it as an act of war. Give Lobo another chance to capture her." Issi faced her husband with her hands on her hips, studying him closely. "You're still in love with her," Issi accused. Katar immediately stood from his chair and said, "We are _not _having this conversation again."

"Shayera, Shayera, Shayera. Everyone _loves _Shayera!"

"You are behaving like a petulant child. My feelings for Shayera ended the day she betrayed us."

"Shayera isn't here. I am! You answer to me!" Katar marched up to Issi, leaving only an inch of space between the two. They both glared. "I don't answer to children," Katar growled through clenched teeth. Issi immediately swung at Katar, nearly slicing his cheek with her hidden blade. The two began fighting each other with their blades. Katar eventually was able to put Issi in a chokehold. He whispered in her ear as she struggled, "You will _never _be as good as Shayera, wife." Katar released her roughly and stood to his feet. Issi immediately put a hand to her throat, coughing and gasping and taking in a lungful of air. She glared at Katar murderously. "I'll be in the security room with the captains and heads of state. Join us when you decide to start thinking rationally." Issi threw a dagger at the door Katar had just walked through, releasing a horrifically angry scream.

* * *

Shayera pulled a towel through her damp hair as she exited the bathroom. "Bruce!" she gasped, not expecting to see the gorgeous billionaire sitting on her bed. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I wanted to see if you were okay," he answered, his blue eyes piercing her very soul. Shayera gulped. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked.

"After sparring, I went back into the gym to grab something. I could have sworn I heard crying coming from the bathroom."

"Oh," Shayera said walking deeper into the room. She walked to the drawer looking for a sweatshirt to cover up the lack of clothing being worn. She found an over-sized Gotham University as Bruce continued talking. "I didn't want to say anything during dinner as Tim and Jason were both present." Shayera pulled on the sweatshirt and _wow. _ It was _so_ comfortable. It also covered the shorts she was wearing. She turned to face Bruce who stopped talking. "That's mine," he said.

"Oh," Shayera said, blushing furiously. She wasn't necessarily small, but she was just now realizing how big Bruce actually was. The sweatshirt completely engulfed her body. "Do you want it back? I can take it off."

"No, no, no," Bruce said, standing to his feet. "I thought Alfred had burned it or turned it into a rag." Shayera pulled her fingers through her red hair. "It looks way better on you than it ever did on me."

"Oh I doubt that," Shayera said before she could stop herself. She immediately covered her mouth with her hands, which were completely covered by the sleeves of the sweatshirt. Bruce looked at her with a raised brow, clearly amused. "Agree to disagree," he said with a wink. But not to be deterred, he said, "Anyway. Why were you crying in the bathroom? Did I do something that made you upset or uncomfortable?"

"No, Bruce, you didn't."

"Because if I did, I hope you know it was not my attention to-" he stopped abruptly when Shayera held up her hand, a pensive look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Shh!" she said firmly. Someone, who was _not _Alfred or Jason or Tim was in the house. "I hear someone in the house."

"Where?" Bruce demanded, immediately stepping into his Batman persona.

"They are coming up the stairs." Bruce immediately sprung into action, pulling batarangs and swords and daggers from under the bed, under drawers, closets, and other places. "Is every room in the house stockpiled with weapons?" Shayera asked in amazement. Bruce ignored her as he strapped a toned-down version of his tool belt around his waist. "Jason and Tim are asleep, but I've already alerted them." When did he have time to do that? "I need to get to Alfred." They both stilled as they both heard footsteps in the hallway. The intruder was getting closer. The intruder stopped in front of Bruce's bedroom. The door flew off its hinges before Bruce could utter a single word. He and Shayera dove out the way, dodging the flying pieces of wood. There, decked out in all his glory stood Lobo looking quite triumphant. "Finally," he said joyously. "I have found you, you little bird."


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry to take so long updating. Fight scenes take a long time to write. And it isn't easy for me to write them. So, I hope this reads okay.**

* * *

Bruce didn't miss a beat when Lobo came crashing through the door. "Shayera!" he shouted. "Go!" Shayera took off, charging at Lobo, full speed ahead, as Bruce threw smoke pellets, covering Lobo with smoke. Because of her heightened senses, Shayera had no problem seeing through the smoke. She expertly slid out the room, through Lobo's legs, while he was busy waving his hands, trying to dispel the smoke. But as soon as Shayera regained her balance, she felt a shooting pain in her head. "Aah!" she screamed as she was yanked back by her hair. "Is that all you got?" Lobo said, holding a struggling Shayera up by her silky strands. "A couple of smoke bombs?" he said with a laugh, which ended with an "Uh!" as his head whipped to the side. "What the…" from the corner of his eye, he barely had time to duck out of the way before more black flying objects flew at him through the smoke. He lost his grip on Shayera's hair, an opportunity she took advantage of as she sprinted to the stairs. Lobo stood up to follow her, but something connected with his jaw, causing him to stagger back. "Did you just kick me in the face?" he asked the male who was staring up at him with scary blue eyes. He swung at the smaller man, who ducked. Lobo than felt a searing pain shoot through his abdomen. The small human had punched him in the gut, and Lobo had felt it. The male followed his punch with a series of punches, which Lobo was unable to block, before following Shayera.

Lobo fell to one knee, clenching his abdomen in pain. How in the universe had a few punches from a simple human hurt him? If anything, the human's hand should be shattered. Lobo stared at Bruce's hands as he caught up to Shayera. With his enhanced vision, Lobo was able to see the male was wearing some sort of brass knuckles. Only the knuckles were silver. And the metal it was made from was definitely not from this planet. He knew this because…well…Earth wasn't _that_ advanced, he thought as he ran to the bannister overlooking the foyer. He watched as Shayera and her friend made their way across the wood floor. He had no idea where they were going. The front door was the other way, but…whatever. He leapt over the bannister landing on his feet with a thud, causing the floor underneath him of to crack. He reached behind and pulled out his chain whip, preparing to toss.

Shayera and Bruce paid no attention to the _thud _that was right behind them. But before they could turn into the kitchen, Shayera felt a chain wrap around her ankle. Suddenly, she was yanked back, nearly cracking her head open on the floor. "Bruce!" she called as Lobo began pulling her to him. Bruce turned and released two batarangs. One to Lobo's face; one to cut the chain holding Shayera hostage.

Lobo was so focused on pulling the Thanagarian to him, it didn't register that her friend had thrown something at him until after he felt his cheek get sliced, causing him to release the chain. He looked around to see what hit him. He turned his head to see a metal bat lodged into the wall. Beside him. "What…?" he brought a hand to his cheek. His eyes widened in surprise when he felt blood. _Okay,_ he said to himself, _now it's personal. No one makes me bleed my own blood except me. _Also, what kind of metal was that thing made of?

Bruce and Shayera ran through the kitchen into the dining room. They needed to reach the billiard room. That was the closest entrance to the batcave. "Tell me you guys are in the cave," Bruce said into his commlink.

"Yeah," Jason responded, "where are you?"

"Is Alfred with you?" Bruce asked, completely ignoring the question.

"I am alright, Master Bruce," Alfred responded.

"We will be there shortly," Bruce said, slamming the doors of the billiard room behind him. He didn't bother locking the door as doing that would serve absolutely no purpose. Bruce ran to one of the racks holding the pool sticks. He grabbed the one in the middle, pulling the top half off, revealing a key. "For some reason I assumed getting to the batcave from your house would be a lot simpler. Like, move a book on a bookshelf simple."

"No," Bruce said as he felt along the wall for a tiny crack. "Everyone does that. And this entrance isn't used ever. It…do you hear that?" Shayera listened. It sounded like – "Is that a motorcycle?" Shayera asked in confusion. As if he was answering her question, Lobo came crashing through the doors of the billiard room, revving his engine. "Missed me?" he asked with a loud, obnoxious laugh. "You rode your bike in my house?" Bruce asked in annoyance.

"It's not just a bike. Don't insult my Spacehog," Lobo sneered.

"Alfred is going to be so mad," Shayera muttered.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Lobo began. Shayera and Bruce stared blankly at him. "Wouldn't it have made sense to say that _before _you attacked us?" Shayera said. Lobo opened his mouth, then closed it. "Just hand the bird-girl over," Lobo said, his patience clearly wearing thin. Bruce didn't answer. He subtly slid the key into the crack causing the wall to open just enough for him and Shayera to slide through. He maneuverd Shayera in front of him. He didn't want Lobo to grab her with his thick, meaty hands. The two turned to slam the door shut, but Lobo stuck his arm through, preventing it from closing all of the way. Bruce took one of his batarangs out and began stabbing Lobo in the hand repeatedly. Each jab piercing skin. Eventually, Lobo snatched his hand back, and the wall/door slammed shut. Shayera slid down the wall, collapsing to the floor. Bruce squatted in front of her. "Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes searching her face for any kind of injury.

"I'm okay," she said breathlessly. "Though I'm going to have a headache tomorrow," she said, rubbing the back of her head where she had been grabbed. Bruce opened his mouth to say something but a resounding _bang_ coming from the other side of the wall shutting him up. "Is he…?" Shayera's voice trailed off.

"He's ramming his bike into the wall. He's gonna break through." Bruce grabbed Shayera's hand, unknowingly, as they both ran down the steps leading to the batcave. "My word, what's that sound?" Alfred greeted them over the sound of agitated bats.

"Lobo is trying to get through the wall," Bruce said as he calmly walked to, what looked like a wooden wardrobe. He threw the doors opened, and Shayera stared in awe at the amount of weapons Bruce had.

"Can he do that?" Jason asked.

"Yes," he said definitively. He grabbed a sword and tossed it to Shayera who caught it with ease. "Do you think this will work on Lobo?" she asked, staring at the metal.

"It was crafted with a mixture of promethium and radion. It'll pierce his chest. You don't have to worry about killing him. He can regenerate." Bruce grabbed a few hand grenades from a drawer, as the banging grew louder. "You have actual, real hand grenades. Like, just normal, plain hand grenades?" Jason asked. Bruce answered him with a look. "Did you know about this?" he whispered to Tim.

"Not at all," Tim responded.

"Focus," Bruce said as another banging noise echoed through the cave. The bats began flying around. In irritation. Bruce then turned to Alfred. "You should barricade yourself in the-"

"I know," Alfred interrupted him, walking away at a brisk pace. "You do not have to tell me twice." A crack echoed throughout the cave. "Uh, Bruce," Jason said uneasily. "If you have a plan, now is the time to tell us."

"You two," he pointed at the two boys. "Get him off his bike."

"Then what?" Jason asked.

"He can't fight four of us at the same time," Bruce said handing each of them a grenade.

"You want us to kill him?" Tim asked.

"He can piece himself back together," Shayera said.

"Should we call Superman?" Tim asked again.

"He's busy," Bruce answered with a groan. "Go," he pointed to the stairs as he led Shayera to a flat surface, where they would fight. Shayera and Bruce both got into their fighting stances - Shayera brandishing a sword, and Bruce wearing his knuckles and his gauntlet blades.

A crack and a thud echoed through the cave, followed by the roar of a motorcycle engine. "He's inside," Shayera breathed. They heard Lobo's laughter over the roar of the engine has he came riding down the steps. But as soon as he hit the bottom step, he was airborne. Well, his body was. His bike slid to a halt along the cave floor.

As soon as Lobo landed, Shayera and Bruce wasted no time attacking him. Each blow was a shock to his system, as most weapons weren't dense enough to pierce his skin. This was new territory for him. He reached to his side for his chain hook, but it was gone. And, his firearms were still on his bike, which was a good hundred feet from him. Well, he'd fought with his hands before. Why stop now? All he needed was to get the hawk girl, get the bike, and then he was outta here. The four heroes backed away from him. Lobo had no idea where the other two came from, but he was tired of this. "Why can't you…" his voice trailed off, as a beeping sound reached his ear. He looked down at his waist to see a number of grenades and one of his own bombs strapped to his belt. His eyes widened. He looked up just in time to see the four heroes take cover. He opened his mouth to speak. "Oh fu-"_BOOM!_


	22. Chapter 22

The four heroes emerged from their small shelters. Bruce and Shayera had thrown themselves off the edge of the platform and were now hanging from Bruce's grappling hook. He was hanging. Shayera was holding onto him. "Well, that went well," Shayera sighed in relief. She turned to look at Bruce, not realizing just how close their faces were to each other. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Swinging with Bruce would be quite romantic, if it weren't for the screeching bats who were upset about being disturbed and the stench of rotten eggs that was Lobo's insides. But all of the other stuff began to fade as Shayera slowly got lost in Bruce's blue orbs. _No, no, no, Shayera, _she mentally berated herself, _you are not supposed to be doing this. This is a bad idea._ Shayera glanced down at Bruce's lips as her brain screamed _Abort! Abort! _But her body had a mind of its own. Just when she was about to kiss him, they heard a "Bruce! Where are you?" Tim was calling for them. Shayera immediately backed away, biting her lip, as Bruce retracted the grappling gun, allowing himself and Shayera to be pulled up. He helped Shayera pull herself up, ignoring her "I don't need help." He knew she didn't need help. But he wanted to. He liked being next to her. "Oh, gross!" Jason said closing his nostrils and looking away. "He's everywhere. And he reeks," he complained, plugging his nose. Shayera didn't disagree. She turned to Bruce. "What now?" she asked breathlessly.

"We call J'ohnn," he said as he began to walk away. Shayera followed him off the platform while Jason and Tim argued over who was going to clean Lobo up. But instead of turning to where his computers were, which was the direction Bruce was heading, she turned in the direction of Lobo's bike. She switched off the motor that had still been running and found what she was looking for. Her sword. How Lobo was able to track her. She picked it up and carried it with her.

* * *

By the time J'ohnn had arrived, a hand and a foot of Lobo's had reformed. "That is so nasty," Jason said, staring at it from afar. "I am never going to be able to sleep again. Ever." J'ohnn had brought a medium sized, clear box. "It is made from a material found on Mars," he explained. "I will put him in here until we are able to transport him to the Watchtower." Bruce gave an affirmative nod. "I think I'm going to be sick," Jason said as he watched the Martian Manhunter mentally place the pieces of Lobo in the box. "Yep," he said, "I'm going to throw up." He immediately ran to a garbage can and began puking his guts out. "You're pathetic," Tim said reentering the batcave with Alfred. "Alfred and I finished assessing the damage," he began. "The good news is – the manor is still standing. The bad news is – we no longer have a billiards room...or a dining room. And we are going to need a new front door. Also, the floor in the foyer is all scratched up from his wheels. But the kitchen is in pretty decent shape," Tim finished with a smile.

"Hardly," Alfred crossed his arms, "the only thing still standing is the refrigerator."

"We should take care of the front door first," Bruce said. J'ohnn walked over to the small group, holding Lobo in the box. "Whenever you are ready, Bruce." Bruce quickly grabbed a sweatshirt throwing the hood over his head, effectively covering his eyes and nose. He didn't have time to put his Batman uniform on. Only the founding members of the league knew his identity, and he planned to keep it that way. "Tim, Jason, do something about the front door," Jason opened his mouth to protest, but Bruce kept talking, "Shayera and I should be back in a couple of hours." And then he disappeared along with J'ohnn, Lobo, and Shayera. "I just want to sleep," Jason moaned.

"The sooner we figure out the door situation, the sooner you can go back to sleep," Tim said turning on his heel. Jason mimicked him as he followed.

* * *

The three leaguers and Lobo appeared in the Watchtower. Superheroes stopped what they were doing to glare or gawk at Shayera and the man they did not recognize as Batman standing next to her. "I'll find a place to put Lobo as he regenerates," J'ohnn turned to the two heroes. "And then I'll summon the other founding league members. John is still in deep space. It may be a few hours before he returns. You both should shower and get some rest." He then stared at Shayera. "I am sorry, Shayera," he said, "but your room has been given away."

"It's okay," Bruce said, "she can bunk with me." He motioned for her to follow with his head.

* * *

"Wow," Shayera said entering Bruce's room. "So this is what Batman's room looks like at the Watchtower." He turned to her with a smirk. There was one queen-sized bed, one dresser, one closet, and one vestibule where a small shower was. "Wow," she said looking around the room.

"Not what you expected," he stated rummaging through his drawers.

"Oh no," Shayera said walking deeper into the room. "I totally expected this for Batman. It's Bruce I didn't expect." He said nothing as he turned around holding one of his black long-sleeved shirts and a pair of pants. "Shower first," he said holding the clothes out to her. He was in Batman mode now. Shayera took the articles of clothing from him. "At least this time you don't have to worry about me tearing your shirt because I no longer have my wings," she tried to say jokingly with a small smile, but her voice cracked at the end. Sorrow and pain replaced the playfulness in her eyes. "I really thought I had made peace with…" her voice trailed off as her eyes became teary. Bruce lifted a hand to comfort her, but Shayera turned towards the bathroom and said, "I won't be long." She brushed past him without another word.

After finishing his shower and dressing, Bruce exited the lavatory to find Shayera sitting up in bed, staring out the window at the stars. Bruce sat opposite her. "You want me rest somewhere else?" he asked. Shayera turned to him with a peculiar expression on her face. "Bruce," she said, "this is your room. If anyone should leave, it should be me." Bruce 'hmphed', still holding her gaze. Shayera looked away first, turning her eyes back to the stars. She felt the bed dip as Bruce crawled under the covers. "Try to get some rest, Shayera," he said softly. She looked at him again. "Bruce, you don't have to worry about me. I'm okay."

"Really?" he asked staring intently at her. "Are you?"

"I'm tougher than I look," she responded somewhat offended.

"I know you're tough," Bruce said. "I have never once doubted your physical capabilities. I am worried about your emotional state of being."

"Batman wants to talk about feelings?" Shayera said with a skeptical brow. Bruce rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. "Healthy emotional regulation shows great mental strength. When your emotions and mind work in tandem, your body and soul begin operating in harmony with each other. Healthy mind; healthy body. Someone who is at war with themselves is _not _someone I want watching my back when we're out in the field. Are you at war with yourself, Shayera?" he turned his blue eyes to her. This was such a weird conversation. These past 4 months, Shayera had seen a completely different side of Bruce. It was a bit unnerving if she was honest. That was probably why Batman's identity was so hard to guess. Batman was shrouded in darkness; Bruce Wayne wore a quarter of his heart on his sleeve. "I've learned a lot about you these past few months," Bruce said turning back to the ceiling.

"I could say the same of you," Shayera responded as she climbed underneath the cover.

"Yes," she could sense him smirking. "I have been showing you the part of myself only Alfred knows about."

"The playboy, overtly flirty side?" Shayera mocked turning to look at him.

"The side who cares," Bruce said turning back to her, pinning her with her gaze. Shayera's breath caught in her throat. "You think if you evade my questions, I won't be able to find the truth. A tactic that has worked in the past. What you don't know, is that the less you say, the more I learn." Shayera swallowed thickly. "Would you like to know what I have learned about you?"

"Don't psychoanalyze me," Shayera said with a huff, turning on her side, away from him. She didn't feel the bed dip, she didn't know how he did it, but next thing she knew, Bruce's voice was in her ear softly saying, "I know when you're lying." His breath sent shivers down her spine. She turned to face him, but he had his back to her. Shayera scoffed. No way he knew when she was lying. She didn't have any tells. Her mother had made sure of that.


	23. Chapter 23

_Fourteen-year-old Shayera sat strapped to a chair, gasping for air. They had been at this for hours. "Come on, Shayera," her mother groaned. "Issi passed with a perfect score. Your younger sister is outperforming you. She is almost better than you." Shayera tried to silence her heavy breathing, but she couldn't. This whole process was causing stress on her body. Her wings were damp with sweat. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up. Shayera was being asked a series of questions, and based on her answers, if her mother caught her in a lie, she was electrocuted. Only two other Thanagarians were in the room. One was a medic, monitoring her heart through the electrodes on her chest. The other monitored the lie detector. Her mother had control over her electrocution. Just now, at this precise moment, Shayera realized her mother was a sadist. While her father never shied away from disciplining her in public, her mother's abuse was done in private, like now. Tears began streaming down Shayera's face. She was in so much pain. "All those years intensively training you, this is what Talov has to show for a it. A daughter ruled by her emotions. Tu_ _ignominiam_. _Pathetic." Her mother asked another question. Shayera answered. "That's a lie," her mother pointed out. She turned to the soldier monitoring the detector. __"It is a lie." He stated. Shayera braced herself for the pain that followed, pursing her lips together to keep from screaming aloud. Her mother rattled off another question. Shayera answered weakly. "That is not a lie," her mother said. The soldier nodded once in agreement. "Control the twitches in your face, Shayera," her mother said in exasperation. Shayera was trying. But it was hard. None of the techniques her father taught her were working. (She had made the mistake of saying that out loud around hour number three.) Shayera blinked the sweat out of her eyes. Her mother asked her another question. She answered. "Lie." Her mother said in exasperation. The soldier nodded once again. Shayera inhaled deeply, waiting for the pain. It hit her hard, but it didn't stop. Her mom was holding the button down. Only when the medic began speaking frantically, did her mother release the button. But it was too late. Shayera was about to seizure. She felt a great burning in her chest. It felt like her heart and lungs were on fire. The medic immediately unstrapped Shayera while her mother rattled off directions. But Shayera couldn't breathe. The medic shouted something, but his voice sounded far away. The last thing she saw before her body broke into a seizure, was her mother shaking her head in disappointment._

Shayera's eyes shot open, her heart pounding in her chest. She was staring up into blue eyes. Why was Bruce so close to her face? "You're awake," he said almost in relief. Shayera sat up slowly. Bruce was wearing his uniform. The only thing missing was his cowl. "You were shaking and flailing in your sleep," he explained.

"Was I having a seizure?" she asked.

"I thought so at first," Bruce stood up. "I turned you on your side, but there was no foaming of the mouth. You didn't lose control of your bowels. I figured you were having an intense dream. I held your arms down so you wouldn't hurt yourself." He studied her intently. "I would ask if you want to talk about it, but I already know the answer. Lobo has finished reconstructing himself. We're about to question Lobo."

"Okay," Shayera said, not budging.

"You should be there. At the interrogation. You may glean something.

"I don't have any clothes, and I am not showing up wearing just your shirt," Shayera stated, crossing her arms in defiance.

"I'll find you some clothes," Bruce said, placing his cowl on his head. He walked out of the room without another word. He returned less than a minute later, holding what looked like her old workout uniform. A simple sports bra, leggings, and a pair of her old shoes. Shayera scoffed. "I thought the league burned all of my stuff," she said, taking the articles of clothing from him.

"We did, but Wally kept an outfit just in case you ever returned and needed something to wear."

"That is so sweet of him," Shayera cooed in all seriousness.

"Or creepy," Bruce stated dryly. "I'll wait for you." He once again left the room with a swirl of his cape. Shayera quickly pulled on the shoes and leggings, but she paused staring at the top. More specifically, she stared at the place her wings would have been. She sighed softly as she pulled the top on. No time to dwell on it now.

* * *

Batman and Shayera walked the halls to the interrogation room in relative silence. Shayera tried to ignore the stares and whispers, but they were a bit unnerving. "At least they don't gawk at me anymore," Batman said from beside her. "The young and new members used to stare at me all of the time."

"You're mysterious," Shayera said with a smile, "You're an imposing figure. Someone they aspire to be like." Batman _hmphed_ in response. "Also, and I am not speaking for myself," Shayera clarified, "you're…cute."

"Cute?" Batman said the word like it was gross.

"Your nose is barely visible, and your mouth and jaw are all that is seen. Based on those features, you are cute."

"What about Bruce Wayne?"

"No," Shayera said, "I refuse to feed your giant, oversized ego. You know very well where you rank on the hotness scale," Shayera said resolutely. Batman smirked underneath his cowl as he and Shayera turned into one of the prisons. Lobo sat in a clear cell, attempting to flirt with Wonder Woman, while she looked about ready to kill him. Superman, Flash, and Martian Manhunter were there. The only person missing was Green Lantern. Flash sped over to her, greeting her with a hug. Lobo's eyes flashed to Shayera. He immediately charged her, hitting the indestructible barrier. "You blew me up!" he shouted at Shayera. "That hurt!"

"You were trying to take me against my will," Shayera said, folding her arms. "We're even."

"Let me guess," Lobo began to mock, "you want to know who hired me."

"We know who hired you," Wonder Woman said. "It was the Thanagarians." Lobo looked genuinely surprised. Shayera rolled her eyes. How could someone as talented as Lobo be so stupid? "And they paid me well," he said. "Very well."

"They gave you my sword," Shayera stated.

"I don't care about the source of the payment as long as I get paid."

"That's what we want to discuss with you," Superman interrupted.

"I don't break contracts," Lobo said.

"Unless you get a better offer."

"There is nothing in the universe better than Nth metal," Lobo said. "Nothing I want, anyway."

"We'll see," Flash said with a knowing smirk.

"I always get my bounty," Lobo said as menacingly as possible. The door to the prison room swung open, and Green Lantern entered. "I got approval from Oa. He is here and ready to go." Superman, the one being in the universe who Lobo could not beat, opened the door to the cell and grabbed Lobo, pulling him out the cell. Lobo protested loudly; trying to swing at and kick the Man of Steel. The walk to their destination should have been 30 seconds. But with the fuss Lobo was making, it took about 5 minutes. They finally made it to the room where the teleportation pad was located. And standing, or floating, – looking very much out of place – was a Space Dolphin. Lobo's countenance completely changed. He stopped fighting Superman's grip; he gasped; his eyes widened in love and wonder – it was a terrible sight to behold. And Shayera didn't know what to think as Lobo exclaimed, "A Space Dolphin!" Superman released Lobo, allowing him to run over to the creature. "This is Lundgren," Green Lantern introduced Lobo. "The only Space Dolphin in the entire universe that can actually survive in an oxygenated environment, though, he can't speak in one." Lobo got right in the face of the dolphin. "Lundgren, this is Lobo." The Space Dolphin bobbed his head up and down in understanding. "Lobo," Green Lantern continued, "if you look out that window, you'll see a whole pod of Space Dolphins." Lobo ran to the window, pressing his face up against it like an eager child on Christmas Eve looking for Santa. "Lundgren has graciously opened his pod up to you."

"Like to hang out?" Lobo asked in wonderment.

"Yes. All you have to do, is stop hunting Shay-"

"Deal!" Lobo said before Green Lantern could finish. "Where's my Space Hog?" he asked eagerly.

* * *

Lobo sat on his bike, preparing to leave with the Space Dolphins. "I don't know how you did it," he said looking back at the league, "but thank you." The 'thank you' floored every single one of the league members. He turned his dark gaze to Shayera. "I lost your sword," he said.

"I stole it after we blew you up," Shayera answered back.

"Your sister hates you," he said to her.

"I know," Shayera said.

"No, she really hates you. She is going to be pissed when she finds out I stopped hunting you. She may get the Gordanians involved," he said. Shayera nodded. "See you later, bird girl," he said as he took off with the Space Dolphins. "I hope I never see a Thanagarian ever again," he muttered.


	24. Chapter 24

The founding members sat around a circular table in the conference room. "Lobo has been successfully taken care of," Superman said.

"That guy is so weird," Flash said. "How is he so good at what he does?"

"Did you see his face when he saw those dolphins?" Green Lantern shuddered. "Lobo smiling."

"The image will never leave my head," Flash said.

"Back to the business at hand," Batman said, steering the meeting in the right direction.

"Right," Superman agreed. "We have the Thanagarians, the Gordanians, and the Thenagarian currently occupying one of our guest quarters." Putting it mildly, Shri was on house arrest. She wasn't allowed to leave her room unless absolutely necessary, and she always had to be accompanied by a leaguer.

"Who should we focus on next?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Shri is not a threat at the moment," the Martian Manhunter said. "I still believe she can be swayed to our side. I am still working on her."

"You're working on her?" Flash waggled his eyebrows at the Martian who stared blankly at the speedster in return.

"I agree with J'ohnn," the Green Lantern stated, ignoring Flash. "The Thanagarians and Gordanians are who we need to concern ourselves with."

"Also, there's someone else I would like to bring in," Batman said, "he's not a threat. And he could be of some help."

"Is he a friend?" Superman asked.

"He's an ally. His name Carter Hall."

"The hawkman?" the Martian Manhunter asked. "Yes, I think he will be of much help."

"Okay," Superman said in agreement. "Anything else to discuss?"

"I have something I would like to discuss," Flash said standing to his feet. Everyone remained silent, all eyes on him. "I would like to discuss the reinstatement of Shayera as a league member." Everyone froze. Shayera, who'd been silent the entire time, stood up to speak. "No, no, no," Shayera said. "We don't need to do that."

"No, Shayera," Flash said. "Let me. This is getting ridiculous. The way the younger members talk about her – "

"Flash," Shayera said, thoroughly embarrassed.

"She's an outcast because she betrayed us," Wonder Woman leaned forward.

"But did she?" Flash said, "think about it…what would we have done in her position?"

"It does not matter," Wonder Woman stood up menacingly, "we weren't in her position."

"Hey!" Shayera yelled, getting everyone's attention. All eyes turned to her. "I did not want this. I did not put him up to this at all. I didn't want any of this. I didn't want anyone to get involved." She thrust her fingers in her hair and began pacing. "I was perfectly fine alone, in that mountain. I was fine! I didn't want to come back! I can't…I'm sorry…I need…" she plopped back down in her chair and buried her face in her hands.

"Well, I think you deserve to be here, Shayera" Flash said looking at her.

"How can she possibly help us," Wonder Woman said, leaping to her feet, "she doesn't have her wings! She has nothing to offer! She deserves everything that's happened to her! She is absolutely no use to us without her wings!" Wonder Woman breathed heavily after her rant, taking her seat. She then looked up to see surprise looks on the faces of her colleagues, except for Batman…and Martian Manhunter (his face never changed). Shayera was looking down. An awkwardness settled in the room, while Wonder Woman sat down, putting her head in her hands. Shayera didn't know what to do. She didn't want to leave, but she didn't want to stay. "That was cold, Wonder Woman," Green Lantern said. Flash glared at Wonder Woman - hard. He looked ready to attack. "You know what, _princess_," Flash sneered. "I would rather have her here than you."

"Of course you would," Wonder Woman said, "You lovesick –"

"ENOUGH!" Superman's voice roared. "Flash," he said, "now is not the time to talk about this. There is too much going on. We will discuss this _after_ we figure out what to do with the Thanagarians and Gordanians." Flash nodded. "And Wonder Woman," he paused, "we'll talk later." She looked away from him in anger. "It is 6:00 a.m. Some of us need to get to work or sleep. Let's reconvene tomorrow." All of the members piled out the room, all but Shayera. She stayed right where she was. These past few months, she had been living in an ignorant bliss. Living in a comfortable manor, recovering. Getting used to the comfortable life Bruce had provided her thus far. But today was a wakeup call. She didn't belong here. She didn't belong anywhere. And this flirtatious thing with Bruce…what was she doing? She couldn't let her heart get involved. They needed to deal with her crazy family and the Gordanians and then she needed to disappear…for good. Maybe steal a Thanagarian ship. Yes, she thought, that is what she needed to do. She pulled her fingers through her hair and stood up. She walked out of the conference room and ran into, what she thought, was a brick wall. Turns out it was Batman. "You ready to go?" he asked. She nodded, slowly. He turned and she followed.

* * *

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Issi screamed in a hot rage as she pummeled her sparring partner.

"What now?" Katar asked as he came strolling into the gym. Issi stopped and turned to face her husband. She wiped the sweat from her face and moved the black hair from her eyes. She pointed her sparring sword, which was a real sword, at Katar and said, "Lobo turned on us!"

"What?" Katar asked, his anger beginning to grow.

"He received an offer he just couldn't refuse," Issi growled, kicking the sparring partner who had yet to pick herself up off the floor.

"What did they offer him?" Katar asked.

"A chance to hang out with some Space Dolphins."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me," Issi threw her weapon on the ground before stepping over the unconscious female.

"He gave up Nth metal to hang out with Space Dolphins?"

"Yes."

"The Gordanians are expecting – "

"I know what the Gordanians are expecting!" Issi said in a rage as she swore. "Forget Lobo. We're going to have to get Shayera ourselves."

"The Justice League – "

"A war with the Justice League or a never-ending war with the Gordanians – pick one." Katar was silent for a moment. Only a moment. "We should ask General Trogaar to send a few men," Katar said. "If they get to her first," he continued, "they can have her alive. If we get to her first, they'll receive a dead, wingless, female bird."


	25. Chapter 25

Something had changed within Shayera after Wonder Woman's tirade. And you didn't have to be Batman to figure that out. The longer they remained at the Watchtower, the more she withdrew into herself. Bruce feared that she would digress into the Shayera still coping with wing loss. Actually, the loss of her wings still bothered her. But that was a wound that would probably never fully heal. When he and Shayera returned to the mansion, she informed him that she was tired and needed to sleep. He let her go. He would talk to her later. But he soon trudged up the stairs after her. Usually he would take his suit off before leaving the cave, but tonight, he was just too exhausted. He was going to sleep in his Batman uniform – minus the cape, mask, and anything that could possibly impale him while he slept. He fell onto his bed and looked at the time. 6:30. _Dang it. _And he couldn't stay home. Today was a show-up-to-work day. There were a number of meetings he had to attend. He needed an hour to rest. Unfortunately, he couldn't shut his mind off. He thought about Lobo and the repercussions that had yet to follow. He thought about Shayera and what their next action should be. He thought about what little he knew of the Gordanians. He thought about Shayera. He thought about the business meetings he needed to attend and the topics he needed to bring up. And then he thought about Shayera, again. She was a whirlwind of – he didn't know. All he knew was that he liked her. A lot. And instead of throwing up walls, like he expected, she threw up a maze. A complicated maze that he couldn't figure out. It was…different and unexpected. But he was not perturbed. Bruce never backed down from a problem, and he loved solving intricate puzzles. Alas, he would solve the Shayera Maze later. For now, he had to figure out how to hunt down another bird.

* * *

Issi went to her parents for some council. Now that Lobo was out of the picture, they needed to regroup and come up with a new plan. "This is a good plan," Talov said after hearing her idea about getting the Gordanians to help them. "Yes. We should work with the Gordanians to capture the traitor, since they want her so badly."

"But what about the Justice League? We promised to leave Earth alone," Issi stated.

"No," her mother, Che-yara, said. "We promised to leave the Justice League alone. If they had payed attention to our wording at the time, they would know that, too."

"My spy got captured by them a week ago," Issi admitted. "She was my best recruit. Now I have no idea where they are hiding Shayera."

"Well when you rescue this spy of yours, you need to make an example of her. Ignorance and weakness will not be tolerated on Thanagar," her father, Talov, said.

"Should I banish her?"

"Goodness, no," her mother answered. "Kill her in front of everyone. Make it known to your recruits that any and all failures will be dealt with harshly." Issi nodded in agreement. "To answer your question about finding her, maybe activate the homing device chip we have in her arm."

"She had that removed long ago."

"Not the traitor," her mom snapped. "The chip in your recruit's arm."

"Hmm," Issi said thoughtfully, "that may not lead me to Shayera, but that would definitely lead me to Shri."

"Send your best assassin to her. One that is also a torture master. Someone there knows where she is, and we can put your spy's head on the front door. It will serve as a reminder to the recruits."

"The league may see the killing of someone on their territory as an act of war."

"What are they going to do?" Talov asked. "Last time we invaded, they had the advantage. We had a disloyal traitor in our midst, feeding them information. But now, now they won't have the advantage. We will send the entirety of our army. Show them what _real _soldiers look like." Talov walked over to a window. "I had such high hopes for your older sister," he said looking at the starless sky above Thanagar. "But she was ungrateful and followed her own path. A disgrace to Thanagarians and what we stand for," he balled up his fists.

"We should have seen the signs. You remember that day she saved that pathetic boy?" Che-yara spat.

"Like it was yesterday," Talov replied. "But you are better than her," he turned to face Issi. "You are now the pride of Thanagar, and soon, you will be it's ruler. The gods will smile favorably upon you. Finish this mission, and then we will continue our war with the Gordanians while they believe we are at peace."

"They won't know what hit them," Issi said with a smirk.


	26. Chapter 26

Carter whistled a merry tune as he walked up the steps to his apartment. He had groceries in one hand and his keys in the other and he was in a good mood. Tomorrow, the museum was receiving a sarcophagus, and he couldn't wait to get his hands on it. He placed his grocery bags on the counter after entering his house. It was 10 p.m. He needed to be to work by 5 a.m. Was it too late for vodka? He turned to his living room but released an embarrassingly high shriek when he realized he was not alone in his apartment. "How long have you been there?" he asked, his heart racing inside his chest.

"Long enough," Batman said as he stepped out of the shadows. "Where are your wings?"

"My wings? They aren't organic."

"Meaning?"

"They aren't connected to my vertebrae. I can take them on and off whenever I want. My father was responsible for manufacturing faux wings on Thanagar."

"You can make wings?"

"Yeah. As long as I have enough Nth metal, which I do – I took a handful with me when I defected - I can make as many faux wings as I want."

"We can talk about the later, for now I want you to gear up. I'll meet you on the roof."

"O-kay," Carter answered.

A minute later, Carter stood on the roof of his apartment building dressed as Hawkman. He was expecting it to be just him and Batman. Turns out, the Bat wasn't alone. "Superman!" Hawkman almost screamed. "Wonder Woman," he gasped.

"This isn't a social visit," Batman said.

"We would like to temporarily invite you to join the Justice League," Superman said.

"Is this because of the hunt for Hawkgirl?" Hawkman asked.

"How do you know about that?" Wonder Woman asked.

"He's the one who alerted me to Lobo's presence on this planet," Batman said.

"Lobo has been taken care of," Superman said.

"Space Dolphins?" Hawkman guessed.

"Yes. But how do you know about the Space Dolphins?"

"It's a well-known fact in the universe that Lobo has a twisted fascination with Space Dolphins. It's borderline predatory," Hawkman replied.

"What we want to know is how the Thanagarians will respond knowing that we have rid them of their prized bounty hunter. Also, we have one their agents in our custody," Batman spoke.

"Should we expect more bounty hunters?" Superman asked.

"I don't think so," Hawkman said after a moment. "Thanagarians are a proud race. We like to come across as perfect, never making a mistake. They wouldn't want help from the rest of the universe. They'd keep it in house."

"What about the Gordanians?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Working together with Thanagarians?" Hawkman asked in disbelief. "Yeah right. The only way those two races would ever work together is if Thanagar had something to trade. And as to the agent in your custody, they're gonna kill her."

"Why?" Wonder Woman questioned. "Because we captured her?"

"Yes," Hawkman said. "Failure is not tolerated on Thanagar. We are a military planet. All mistakes must have consequences. No soldier may be out of line. Entering the military is like signing a death wish. They're coming so hard after Hawkgirl because she betrayed the entire planet. She made a mockery of Thanagar in front of the entire universe. Also, she disgraced the ruling family. She made them look weak by saving Earth. But why are you asking me this?" Hawkman asked. "Lieutenant Hol would know more than me. I was just a lowly officer. She's the one who was in the same room with higher-ups. Soldiers on my level never know what's going on. We do what we're told; no questions asked."

"What can you tell us about Shayera's family?" Batman asked.

"Not much. General Talov is a psychopath, and his wife, General Che-yara, is a sociopath. Her younger sister, Issi, is a mixture of both - making her a nightmare to deal with."

"So Shay – Lieutenant Hol – which one is she?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Neither," Hawkman answered. "She was an…anomaly. The odd bird out."

"Explain," Wonder Woman demanded.

"We were in the same class. She probably wouldn't remember me. When we were around 14 our class was doing drills and obstacle courses. You know those courses your army or navy or marines run?" Superman and Wonder Woman nodded. "We were running those when we were 7. This one was ten times harder, and it was part of our graduation ceremony. Everyone was watching. Lieutenant Hol was out in front. She was killing it. She would have won, too. But, during the obstacle where we fly through rings while seasoned warriors shoot arrows at us, I got hit with the an arrow. It went through my wing and pinned me to the wall. I was done."

"Didn't it hurt you?" Wonder Woman asked.

"My wings are not organic. Actually, almost 80% of Thanagarians are born wingless. But I digress. Everyone aimed their bows at me and fired. I closed my eyes, knowing I was about to die."

"Wait," Wonder Woman interrupted once again, "Students dying. Is that a regular occurrence?"

"Yes. At age 5, there were 350 students in my class. By 14, we were down to 150. Going back to my story. I was pinned to the wall, arrows flying at me, but I didn't get hit. When I opened my eyes, Lieutenant Hol was in front of me. She had deflected all of the arrows. She then pulled the arrow out of my wing and helped me finish the course. I'll never forget how the crowd looked. The place was silent; everyone's mouths were open. They were speechless."

"Shocked because she rescued you?" Superman asked.

"Yes. She had shown compassion by rescuing me. And compassion is a weakness that is beat out of us at a young age. As the next in line to be ruler of Thanagar, she had just proven that she was weak. Which suggested that her father was weak. It was not good. Her father and mother were livid. Couldn't see their faces because of their masks, but their body language screamed murder. I was so scared for her. When her father walked up to her, she returned his glare. It was an act of defiance - showing disrespect. I have never seen a hawk brave enough to look General Talov in the eye...I have also never seen a being get slapped so hard."

"He punished her for saving you?" Wonder Woman asked, still not clear.

"He backhanded her so hard, half of her mask flew off her face. Those masks are made of the same material as my mace," he gestured down to the weapon at his side. "The slap echoed throughout the auditorium. She stumbled and landed on the ground, hard. Then, her father grabbed her by the wing, dragged her to a wall and pinned her there with a spear. She released this desperate, blood curling scream. Her wings aren't faux like mine, they're organic. She had to dislodge the spear herself."

"Did she graduate?" Superman said, completely enraptured.

"Yeah, of course But she stayed out of public eye until it was announced she was going to Earth. A week before she was sent here, I left. I disgraced my whole family at 14 by needing to be resuced. And then they ostracized me when they learned I would be a low-level soldier. Eventually, my father banished me. He said he could no longer house such a weak hawk. I haven't seen, talked, or heard from my family since I left Thanagar. Earth was a welcome change." Superman and Wonder Woman silently absorbed what they had been told. "Batman," Superman turned to the Caped Crusader, "do you think – where is he?"

"How'd he do that?" Hawkman exclaimed. "He was just here!"

"_When_ did he do that?" Wonder Woman wondered aloud.

"Why don't you come with us to the Watchtower," Superman said. "We can talk more."

* * *

Shri paced her 10x10 cell. As far as jail cells went, this one was nice and different from the ones on Thanagar. This cell had a soft bed, a desk, and a desk lamp. Why she would ever need a desk while locked in a cell, she did not know. But who was she to complain. The ones on Thanagar were nightmares, standing room only. Her father had died in one. And…there was someone here. Shri turned around to see the green man, the Martian Manhunter, was standing just outside her cell. (The front wall of the cell was made out of unbreakable glass.) "You are back," Shri said, crossing her arms.

"I am," he said. He was munching on some small, round, brown thing. Her interest was piqued. "What are you eating?" she inquired.

"They are called _Chocos_. They are made from chocolate and have a vanilla crème filling," J'ohnn all but cooed. "Would you like to try one?" he held one out.

"Being nice to me build rapport. It won't work," Shri turned to face the wall once again. "You come here everyday and question me. Why?"

"To see what you know?"

"About what?" she turned to face J'ohnn. J'ohnn shrugged, a habit he picked up from the humans of Earth. "You already scanned my body. I do not have any trackers in or on my body. No one is coming for me."

"We did find a communication device that has since been destroyed. We know you've been communicating with your lieutenant." Shri only blinked her bright brown eyes. "Why were you sent here? Have you been looking for Shayera since the invasion?" Shri scoffed. "It was not an invasion," Shri said.

"What was it if not an invasion?"

"Liberation." Shri said.

"Liberation?" J'ohnn asked. "Please explain."

"The Gordanians were on their way to Earth. They would have made mankind their slaves."

"It seems the Thanagarians tried to make humans their slaves instead."

"We were going to teach the humans how to fight," Shri argued.

"The humans did just fine on their own. As you can see, Thanagarians do not control Earth." Shri stormed the clear wall, banging it once with her fist. The anger was like a fire in her eyes. "The only reason you _ilíthioi _won was because of that _skýla._ She showed weakness when she chose _you _over _us!_" J'ohnn's red eyes studied her. Shri hated to admit it, but this Martian's steady stare was unnerving. And it did weird things to her stomach. She did _not_ like it. "What?" she bit out in annoyance.

"Why did you think the Gordanians were about to invade Earth?" he asked.

"That's what I was told."

"Who told you that?" J'ohnn asked.

"The higher-ups," she replied. "They told us that the Gordanians were about to attack another planet. Earth. And if they conquered Earth, it would mean our annihilation. We needed to prepare them for an attack."

"You follow your leaders' orders, no questions asked?" J'ohnn asked, trying to understand the young, dark-skinned hawk.

"Yes," she answered confidently. "Our parents raised us to respect the leaders of  
Thanagar. They know best."

"Hmm," J'ohnn said thoughtfully. "You have given me much to think about," he replied after a moment. Shri raised an eyebrow. _She had? _ "It is always a pleasure speaking to you, Shri," J'ohnn said as she walked away. Shri stared after him for a few moments before sitting on the bed. There was that weird feeling in her stomach again. She was going to puke.


	27. Chapter 27

"Okay. Thanks, J'ohnn," Bruce said into his earpiece as he drove into the Batcave.

"Late night, sir?" Alfred greeted him.

"Alfred?" Bruce asked, exiting the batmobile. "What are you doing still awake?"

"Miss Shayera has been pummeling the punching bags since you left for work this morning."

"She hasn't stopped?" Bruce asked, genuinely concerned. "Did she take any breaks…at all?"

"Only to hydrate, sir."

"Okay," Bruce was tired. "I'll take care of this. You, go to bed."

"As you wish, sir." Alfred turned and left the cave, while Bruce began to undress.

* * *

Shayera continued to punch the bag. Originally, she had come down to the gym to clear her head. But all she heard were the voices of her father and mother ringing in her ears repeatedly. "_Faster, Shayera," "Harder, Shayera," "Quicker Shayera."_ She slammed her fist through the punching bag causing sand to pour out. This was 7th one today. She really hoped Bruce wouldn't be upset. She grabbed another punching bag and began to hook it up. Maybe she should stop. She'd been at it for 13 hours. She shook her head. Her parents always told her emotions made her weak, and they were right. Her feelings for Bruce hadn't made life easier for her. If anything, they were a hindrance and an annoyance. Also, what Diana had said really got to her. And Diana was right, she thought. She was no use to anyone without her wings. She kept punching and punching. She could no longer feel her hands, but she was always taught pain was weakness leaving the body. Her parents firmly stood by that belief. Shayera knew it wasn't true. But all she wanted to do was silence the voices in her head. Maybe she was going insane. She began to punch harder and harder. No, she was better than this. What was wrong with her? She never cared about any of this stuff before. Of course, that was before the loss of her wings. Four months after losing her wings, and she was still looking for ways to cope. Her stupid wings. _Punch. _This stupid planet. _Punch. _These stupid feelings. _Punch. _Her stupid parents. _Punch. _Going through all this for humans _punch _and leaguers _punch _who didn't appreciate her! _Punch! Punch! Crash! _The punching bag flew off the hook, hit the mirror, then hit the floor. Sand came pouring out of it. "Oops," she said to herself. She really didn't mean to do it this time. "Can you please stop destroying my punching bags?" she heard a voice say. She turned to see Bruce casually stroll in like he owned the place…which he did. Shayera tried not to look at what he was wearing. But she failed. Her mind immediately took note of the sweats and tank top he was wearing. Along with the muscles in his arms, his poignant blue eyes, and his silky hair that currently had no product in it. She really wanted to run her fingers through it and bask in its softness. "I didn't expect to see you here," Shayera said as she plopped down on a bench and began unwrapping her hands.

"Where else would I be?" he asked in amusement. Shayera shrugged. "Prowling the roofs of Gotham." Bruce gave her a smirk. "I don't prowl. And Jason and Tim are patrolling tonight. I had a meeting with a hawkman."

"That Carter guy?" Shayera asked as she began unraveling the cloths wrapped around her knuckles. Bruce sat on the bench across from her.

"Yes," he said as he watched her unravel the cloth around her hands, revealing very bloodied and swollen knuckles. "Were you trying to shatter the bones in your hand?" Bruce asked in annoyance as he walked to one of the freezers. He pulled out an ice pack and retrieved a cloth from the cabinet. He sat back down, handing the items to her. "I'll heal," she said.

"That's great," Bruce said still holding the items out to her. "Ice your hands." They stared each other down in a battle of wills before Shayera caved and grabbed the ice pack. "Satisfied?" she asked.

"No," Bruce said, "But that's a start. "J'ohnn has been talking to Shri."

"Why?" Shayera asked. "She's a low-level scout. She knows nothing."

"Thanagar is planning an attack on Earth." Shayera froze. "What?" she asked, not sure she heard right.

"That is what Shri said."

"How would she know? She's only a low-level scout sent to find me."

"From what J'ohnn was able to pull from her mind, Thanagar is definitely gearing up for another attack. She said the only reason we won was because we had you. Without you're wings…" Shayera stood up, dropped the ice bag and cloth on the floor, and began to pace. She needed time to process everything. After a moment, she asked, "You're saying they tore my wings from my body because they wanted me out of the way when they attacked Earth? I'm just one being, how is getting me out of the way helping them? It's not like I could take on the entire Thanagarian army by myself!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, they definitely took your wings to punish you. But I don't think your punishment is over."

"Explain," Shayera demanded, staring down at Bruce, hands on her hips.

"From what I've heard from you and Shri, Thanagar looks down on anyone who shows compassion. And you showed A LOT of compassion when you chose Earth over  
Thanagar. In their eyes, you showed you loved Earth more than Thanagar. So, taking your wings…and then attacking Earth..."

"I can't fight back," Shayera turned away from Bruce as realization slowly set in. "I – I can't fly, s - so there's no way I can fight them."

"You watch from afar as Thanagar ravages the Earth – the thing you love most," Bruce said softly. Shayera turned to face Bruce once again. "On Thanagar, we are taught that Thanagar and Thanagarians should be our first love. But when I chose you over Thanagar, they – " she stopped speaking. "But why the Gordanians?"

"I think that was plan A. When Lobo gave up, they moved to plan B." Shayera bit her lip, deep in thought. Heartbreak and pain were evident on her face. "Shayera," Bruce stood up, and walked to her. "Invading Earth again was always the plan, Shayera."


	28. Chapter 28

"Removing your wings was more than just a punishment," Bruce continued. "We have been so focused on you and your wings…but Earth has been the target this entire time." Shayera sat on the bench and hung her head in defeat. "So, even if you had handed me over, Earth would have still been invaded." Bruce sat down next to her. "I should have never brought you to the Watchtower." Shayera snapped her head up and stared at Bruce shockingly. "Yes, I know," Bruce caught her eye with a smirk. "It's not every day I admit that I'm wrong in doing something."

"You _never _admit when you're wrong."

"How often am I wrong?" he asked with a smirk. Shayera's breath caught in her throat as Bruce's bright blue eyes bore into her green ones. "Not often," Shayera said breathlessly.

"But I was wrong when I took you to the Watchtower that day," he said. Shayera saw a small, tiny, minute hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Then why did you?" she asked.

"Why didn't you fight me?" Bruce questioned with a slight smile.

"I asked you first," Shayera said. Bruce only stared at her with a raised brow. Clearly, he was not going to answer first. Shayera looked down. "I figured I deserved whatever was coming."

"You didn't-"

"I know that now," Shayera interrupted. "When I saw Issi, I immediately knew what to expect. I was just so tired of running."

"I don't know why I brought you to the Watchtower," Bruce said as he looked away from Shayera.

"I don't buy that for a second," Shayera said. "Whether you're dressed as Batman _or _Bruce Wayne – you always do things for a reason." Bruce inhaled and then exhaled. "I remember the first time we stood together as a group. I was watching you. When you thought everyone wasn't looking, you began studying each of us closely. Then your gaze landed on Green Lantern. At the time, I thought it was a smile. But looking back, it was a smirk. You were looking for a target. Why?"

"I needed to solidify my place in the group," Shayera whispered. "Becoming romantically involved with someone seemed to be the best course of action. Superman was larger than life and seemed to always have his head in the clouds." Bruce smirked at that. "Flash was too immature. The Martian Manhunter…I couldn't take the chance. Wonder Woman is gorgeous, but I don't swing that way. Also, she's just as dominating as I am. We barely got along in general. But Green Lantern – or John – he wore his heart on his sleeve. I remember thinking about how easy it would be for me to make him fall in love. A flirty, borderline sexual comment here and there - pretend to not understand the way of humans. Let him think he was rescuing me. Act tough; pretend I was setting up emotional walls, guarding myself, afraid to show the real me. The day I took off my mask and showed him my face…I knew I had him. I could see it in his eyes. Showing my face to him and no one else - he thought I finally opened up to him. He thought I had laid all my cards on the table. He thought he had my heart," Shayera whispered. "But he didn't. He had and saw what I wanted him to see." Shayera stopped speaking for a second. "Wow," she gasped. "I really am ruthless," she whispered.

"Ruthless or not. There is no doubting your intelligence," Bruce paused in thought. "You didn't know any better, Shayera. You were doing what you were programmed to do."

"Programmed? I am not a machine," Shayera contested.

"You were trained to do whatever was demanded of you, no questions asked. The way you were trained goes beyond brainwashing," Bruce said. Shayera reflected on what Bruce said. "How about me?" Bruce asked, giving her a gentle nudge.

"Hmm?" she said, not understanding.

"You never said why you didn't choose me."

"Oh," she said, "I took one look at you and decided 'no'. Your stance, your body language, the way you seemed to pick up on everything – I don't think I would have been able to fool you. Also, you looked imposing dressed in all black, with the pointy things on your head."

"I was resembling a bat," Bruce said wryly.

"I know that now. But you, standing there with your arms crossed, lips pursed, glaring at everyone – everything about you screamed dangerous," Shayera said standing up and stretching. Bruce stood with her. "And I couldn't risk my mission," Shayera finished with a yawn. "I need sleep."

"What about now?" Bruce asked, grasping her hand. He didn't want her pulling away. "What do you mean?" Shayera asked, not quite understanding what he was trying to ask.

"Am I still…_dangerous_?" he pulled her closer, his voice growing husky.

"Yeah," Shayera proclaimed, shocked he would even ask that. "You're Batman. Batman is scary dangerous."

"And Bruce Wayne?" he asked as he cupped her other cheek with his hand and stroked her bottom lip with his thumb. "What about Bruce Wayne?" Shayera really wished her hair wasn't in a ponytail. She wanted to cover the heat rising in her cheeks. She needed to…she didn't know what she needed to do, but she felt like she was she needed to do something. She thought about stepping away from him; but his piercing blue eyes pinned her to the spot. She swallowed thickly. _Was it getting hot in here? _"Y-you as Bruce Wayne are very dangerous," she whispered breathlessly.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked, bringing up the hand he was holding, intertwining their fingers.

"Why would I be afraid of you?" Shayera managed to squeak out.

"You tell me," he said taking a step forward, crowding her personal space. "Every time I get this close to you, you runaway."

"I do not," Shayera protested softly as she inadvertently took a step back...or attempted to. Bruce had her in a vice-like grip. He held her tightly, yet gently and raised an amusing eyebrow at her. "I just don't – understand what you want from me," she said. Bruce slowly released and took a step back. "Shayera," he said, peering at her intently, "I don't want anything from you. When I helped you, when I kissed you – I don't expect anything from you. Maybe my flirting has been a tad bit overt, and I can dial it back. But Shayera, I don't want anything from you. I just…want…you," he finished softly. Shayera was speechless. Never in her wildest dreams did she think Batman would…her thoughts trailed off. "Do you want to know the real reason behind why I was always watching you?"

"You didn't trust me," she stated.

"No," he shook his head. "I was attracted to you, and I couldn't understand why. I don't…fall in love," Bruce continued. "Ever."

"What about Catwoman?" Shayera whispered. "Was that not love?"

"That romance was doomed from the start. But you, I couldn't understand why I felt the way I felt. Still don't. But make no mistake, Shayera, I don't want anything from you." Bruce placed his hands on her shoulders and bent down until he was eye-level with her. "I mean it, Shayera," he said. "I need you to understand, you owe me absolutely nothing," he emphasized. Shayera opened her mouth and then closed it. She opened her mouth again to say something, but then closed it. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything"," he gave her lips one last lingering look, before switching topics. We're going to have to start prepping for an attack. I know that we can't stop them from entering Earth's atmosphere. But we need to keep the fighting in the air. How long does it take to get from Thanagar to Earth?" Bruce asked her. Shayera's brain could barely keep up with subject change. "With ships, three days," she answered. Bruce began to pace, as he was deep in thought. "Bruce," Shayera said firmly. "It is almost 4 in the morning. You've been up longer than me; and I'm nearing 24 hours. You're not gonna solve this right now. You need sleep. _I _need sleep."

"You're right," he said. "I can't work if my brain hasn't had rest. I will see you at noon."

"Don't you have to go to work in three hours?" Shayera asked as she walked side-by-side with Bruce, exiting the gym.

"No," he said, "I own the company. Technically, I can work whenever I want."

"That's cool," Shayera said as they both left the gym.

* * *

Issi walked back and forth on the catwalk, glaring at whatever was in front of her. She was wearing her war helmet; her golden greaves were strapped on tight, as well as her gauntlets; she had the traitor's mace strapped to her side. "General Trogaar wants to solidify plans for the attack," Katar said to his betrothed.

"Are the troops prepared?" Issi asked, completely ignoring his statement.

"Yes," Katar said. "They are preparing. General Trogaar wants to talk terms. He's waiting now."

"He can wait longer," Issi replied. Katar grabbed Issi by the upper arm and pulled her to him. "Don't be stupid, Issi," he growled. "We are on the precipice of war with the Gordanians, and you want to keep him waiting?" he shook her with every word. Issi freed himself from his grip, giving him a hard shove. "You know I'm right!" Katar said, sticking a finger in her face. Issi growled, realizing her idiot "husband" was right. "Whether or not the Gordanians help us, we attack Earth within the week. I'm tired of waiting," she stated as she marched past Katar.

* * *

J'ohnn sat on the other side of the cell, staring at the dark-skinned hawk in front of him. "I did not get a chance to ask you…why are you able to take your wings off?" he motioned to the beautiful white wings on the bed. "My wings are not organic," Shri stated simply. "How long are you going to keep me here?"

"Thanagar can make wings that you can attach and detach to your spine. How do you control them?"

"With our minds. You cannot keep me here forever," Shri said.

"Interesting. And we have no intention of keeping you here forever." Shri rolled her eyes. "I don't understand why I'm still here," she muttered. J'ohnn said nothing. "I do have a question, though. Why did…_she_…betray us? Thanagar. We only wanted to help Earth," Shri said.

"Hmm," J'ohnn sat back in his chair thoughtfully. "I believe this is a question only Shayera can answer." J'ohnn paused for a moment, his eyes flashing. Using his mind, J'ohnn opened the door to Shri's cell. "Wha – what are you doing?" Shri asked.

"We are attending a meeting."

"A meeting? Are you not going to tie my hands together?"

"No need. You don't have your wings, and I highly doubt you'll be over to overtake over 100 leaguers." Shri stumbled when J'ohnn said "100 leaguers."

"That many?" Shri bit her lip, "Do they all have superpowers?"

"Not all of them," J'ohnn said as he steered Shri through the Watchtower. "Batman," J'ohnn called. The Caped Crusader paused and turned to look at the Martian Manhunter. "J'ohnn," Batman answered in a monotone voice. He briefly glanced at Shri. "I think she should be there," the Martian Manhunter explained.

"Why?" Batman asked gruffly.

_'Trust me, Bruce,' _J'ohnn answered telepathically.

"Fine," Bruce huffed before turning away. Shri scowled at Batman's back. "I can feel that," Batman grumbled loudly once again. Shri's eyes widened in shock and amazement. "Let's go," the Martian Manhunter said as he gave Shri a gentle nudge.


	29. Chapter 29

Shayera looked up to see Batman walked enter the conference room. Her cheeks began to warm. Last night's (or this morning) conversation was still fresh in her brain. Martian Manhunter was the last to arrive…with Shri. "Can we begin?" Batman asked impatiently as he stood across from Shayera.

"I'm sorry, Batman," Superman said, "do you have some place better to be?" Batman folded his arms and glared at his friend.

"As I was explaining before," Shayera continued, "there's a hierarchy to Thanagar's army. The ones we should focus the most on, are the ones commanding the ships that will stay in the air. The Thanagarians who fly close to the ground, the first wave of the attack, are pawns. They're expendable. The higher ranked officers will stay in the airships. They'll watch from above and only appear if the battle seems lost."

"So it's like chess," Flash stated. "We take out the ones in charge, the battle is over."

"Not quite," Shayera said slowly. "If this is a _mors voluntaria _mission, the soldiers may have orders to not stop fighting no matter what. They'll fight to the death. Almost like kamikazes."

"We won't kill anyone, Shayera," Superman reassured her.

"Even though they will be trying to kill us," Wonder Woman muttered.

"Diana," Superman growled.

"Any weaknesses we can exploit?" Batman asked. A small snort came from the back of the room. Shri. Shayera rolled her eyes. "As skilled as we are at ground combat, we do our best fighting in the sky."

_"What are you doing?" _Shri shouted in Thanagarian. Shayera didn't respond. "You need to approach us from behind or above."

_"You are a traitor!" _Shri shouted as she sprang from her seat, but J'ohnn immediately grabbed her and forced her to sit down. "If she's going to be privy to this, could you please shut her up?" Green Lantern asked in annoyance.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea," Superman said. J'ohnn muttered something into Shri's ear. She set her mouth into a thin line and crossed her arms. Shayera pointed to her old helmet. "These helmets are made to protect our head. No metal can pierce it, also it takes away our peripheral."

"In what way?" Batman asked. He had studied her helmet in depth after the invasion. He found no imperfections. "We can't see things right beside us when we wear our helmet." One of the reasons Shayera hated that helmet. "Don't aim for the center of the breastplate. It'll do nothing. You have to go under and up. Also, the joints. Our joints aren't protected." The room went silent. "Also, the Nth metal in our armor enables us to heal pretty fast."

"Why can't we just go for the wings?" Wonder Woman asked. Shri snickered. Shayera could sense Batman tense at Wonder Woman's mention of _wings _from across the table_._

"Yes," Shayera said stiffly. "Go for the wings. But it will not be easy unless they are grounded. But not all Thanagarians have wings attached to their bodies."

"What do you mean?" Green Lantern asked.

"On Thanagarian body arm, there is this big, red jewel in the middle of the breastplate. If you look closely, some have a very thin silver strip around the jewel. That means their wings are fake. There is a tiny button in the back, if you press it, their wings will disconnect from their bodies. They won't be able to fly."

"Hmm," Superman said in deep thought, "not many weaknesses."

"Superman," Shayera said, "their armor shouldn't be a problem for you. You can fly faster than any Thanagarian. All you have to do is catch one and forcibly tear the armor plating off."

"Wait," Superman turned to Shayera, "they don't know about kryp-"

"I didn't tell them any of your weaknesses," Shayera interrupted. Superman couldn't hide his surprise, while Wonder Woman's hard face softened. "You didn't? Why?" Wonder Woman asked. "I thought…wasn't that the whole point of you spying on us anyway?" Shayera shrugged. "They don't know…_anything?_"

"They know what I wanted them to know," Shayera answered. "They don't know your real names or identities. They know what you can do. They just don't know how to pick any of you apart." The Leaguers, save Batman and Martian Manhunter, stared at her in confusion, wonder, and more confusion. "See?" Flash spoke up with a smile. "I told you she was one of us."

_"You bitch!" _Shri shouted as she stood to her feet. J'ohnn reached for her, but Shayera mentally told him not to do anything. _"You bring dishonor to Thanagar! You are weak! And you are a fool!" _ Shayera, annoyed with this girl and itching for a fight, and Shri lunged at each othjer simultaneously. The league members began to run to Shayera's aid, but J'ohnn held up one hand, causing them to stop in their tracks.

* * *

Shayera immediately went on the defensive, blocking every kick, punch, and elbow thrown at her. Shri was good, but nowhere as talented as Shayera. This would be a short fight, Shayera landed a punch in Shri's gut. She could have punched her in the liver, but Shayera had not desire to hurt Shri. Shri doubled over in pain but recovered immediately. _"I used to look up to you!" _Shri screamed as she continued her attack on Shayera. _"I wanted to be you! But all you did was bring shame and dishonor on Thanagar!" _Shayera dodged another punch before flipping over Shri, landing directly behind her. Before Shri could turn to face her, Shayera placed her in a standing rear-naked choke. _"Calm down!" _Shayera demanded. _"I don't want to hurt you, but I will." _Shri continued to fight, but the more she moved, the tighter Shayera's grip became. _"Do you really want to pass out? In front of _them? _You would show them how weak you really are?"_

_"I will not…" _Shri gasped for air, "_surrender. Surrender is weakness."_

_"There is no shame in surrender! There is no shame in compassion! And there is no shame in mercy," _Shayera finished softly. "What am I doing?" Shayera asked herself. She immediately released her hold on Shri and backed away. Shri glared at Shayera while rubbing her neck. _"What are you doing?" _Shri demanded. _"You had me!" _Shayera said nothing. She only stared at Shri with recognition and pity. _"Why'd you let me go!" _Shri demanded.

_"What good would have come from me knocking you out?" _Shayera asked. Shri did not know the answer. "_You are weak_," Shri said.

"_If caring about others makes me weak, then yes, I am very weak._"

_"Why would you choose them over us?" _Shri cried.

_"Because we were wrong. We were lied to. Why were you told to invade Earth?" _ The two hawks entered into a conversation completely forgetting about their audience.

_"We were told that Earth had entered into an alliance with the Gordanians."_

_"That was a lie,"_ Shayera said. Shri didn't react. _"What do you mean?"_

_"I was sent to Earth to be a spy. I was told to report what I saw. That was it. Then Earth was attacked. That's when I met their heroes. My assignment began to change. I was just too naïve to notice,"_ Shayera said bitterly. "_First it was little things. Defense information, military tactics. And I willingly provided it. I even told them how to break into the Hall of Justice and surpass every alarm. I didn't realize that Earth was just one more world, one more planet for Thanagar to conquer until it was too late,"_ Shayera paused briefly. _"I saw the plans they had for Earth. I saw what they were planning to do. Earth was to become just one more military outpost. And I could have obeyed my orders. I could have fallen in line, but I chose not to."_

_"Why?"_ Shri asked not understanding.

_"Because it was wrong,"_ Shayera said. And suddenly, she felt free. This wave of peace covered her. All of the self-doubt; the questioning of what she should do, what she shouldn't do, was gone. She knew where she belonged. Here. On Earth. _"We've been trained to fight since day one. But when does the fighting stop? Our grandparents fought; our great-grandparents fought. All Thanagar does is fight. And there's more to life than just fighting. And I did not learn that until I came here. You've been here, looking for me for a little over 3 months, correct?"_ Shri nodded. _"Was it not nice to finally be able to get more than 2 hours asleep; to not have to worry about being attacked in your sleep for a stupid drill? Wasn't it nice to just soar?"_ Shayera reminisced briefly with tears in her eyes. _"Not tactical training flying, but flying for pure enjoyment?" _ Shri's body slowly began to relax. It _had _been nice, flying and not having to avoid a random spear being shot at her to test alertness. Shri looked at J'ohnn. If she was honest, she was expecting to be tortured for information when she was first caught. And she was interrogated. But she wasn't tortured within an inch of her life. They didn't pour boiling lava on her wings as an incentive to loosen her tongue. Her cell wasn't standing room only. There was a comfortable bed. She was given food…multiple times a day. She didn't have to do anything or fight anyone to earn it. They just gave it to her. Shri looked down at her arms, more specifically, her skin. There weren't too many dark-skinned Thanagarians. But Earth had a lot of people with her coloring. And people didn't throw rocks at them for no good reason. Instead of being encouraged, that behavior was actually frowned upon in Gotham. Nobody cared about the color of her skin. They didn't see "a DNA mistake made by the gods." Actually, they didn't stare at her at all when she walked among them wingless. Maybe…just maybe this traitor – Shayera was right. _ "I don't know about you, but I am so tired of fighting – physically, mentally, and emotionally. I am tired of pushing the ones who want to help me away. You see the guy wearing all black_?" Shayera motioned to Batman with her head.

_"The imposing one with the horns coming out of his head?"_ Shri asked. Shayera smiled at that description. _"I don't think he's blinked once…or moved a muscle at all. I don't even know if he's breathing."_

_"He is,"_ Shayera reassured her. _"He likes me. He kissed me. On the mouth." _ Shri's face scrunched in disgust. "_Why?_" Shri asked. _"Did someone tell him to? Was he ordered by someone to take care of you?_"

"_No,_" Shayera answered with a shake of her head. "_He did it because he wanted to._"

_"Really? Like, he willingly chose to put his mouth on yours? It wasn't arranged?_"

_"It was not arranged. And I've been pushing him away because I don't think I deserve him. And maybe I don't, but I don't want to fight my feelings for him anymore_," Shayera glanced over at Bruce fondly. Only the slight twitch of his lips told her he saw her glance at him. "_So?_" Shayera asked Shri. Shri thought for few seconds. _"It's not like I have anyone waiting for me on Thanagar. My family is dead, and I am not spoken for,_" she walked closer to Shayera. _"If the entire army comes here, Earth may lose."_

_"Maybe, but won't it be nice to fight just because you want to protect something that's yours? Fight for something that matters to you?"_ Shri thought about that, too. It would be nice to fight, not because someone told her to, but because it was something she wanted to do. _"So, will you help us?"_ Shayera asked, holding her hand out. Shri looked at Shayera's hand in confusion. _"I will help you,"_ she said, _"but why are you holding your hand out? Do you want me to hold it?"_

"_No_," Shayera said with a laugh, "_it's something they do when they have an agreement. Put your opposite hand in mine."_ Shri obeyed. _"And then we move our hands up and down."_

_"How…weird?"_

_"It is called a handshake."_

_"I don't like it,_" Shri said, releasing Shayera's hand.

_"Neither do I. Come on, you should meet everyone, and I think we should start speaking English."_

"_Wait_," Shri said, causing Shayera to stop abruptly. Shayera looked at her worriedly. _"The green guy, the Martian," _Shri paused. Shayera patiently waited for her to continue. _"My stomach does weird things everytime he talks to me. I get really nervous, and I want to throw up. Am I allergic to him or something?"_

"_No_," Shayera said with a laugh. "But I'll explain later." Shri nodded as she followed Shayera over to the league members who had been watching the exchange the entire time. Awkward.

* * *

Shayera and Shri attacking each other had not surprised Batman. Green Lantern and Flash, however, were prepared to rush to Shayera's aid, but J'ohnn immediately held them both back with his powers. "No," he said, "this needs to happen." Batman watched the two fight while his teammates made quips here and there. Shri had solid form, good footwork, hard punches. But she was nowhere as good as Shayera, who was going easy on the smaller hawk. She had yet to throw a single punch. She didn't want to hurt the smaller hawk. "Ooh," Flash said as Shayera's fist made contact with Shri's ribs. But instead of taking her down, Shayera allowed the young hawk to recover and attack. A moment later, the fight ended when Shayera placed her opponent in a chokehold. "You go Shay," Flash said loudly. But instead of finishing the hawk off, Shayera slowly released her. "That's it? That's all we get?" Flash asked.

"You are so immature," Green Lantern muttered.

"What are they doing now? Are they having a conversation? They do know we're 20 feet away, right?"

"Let them talk, Barry," J'ohnn said. A few moments later, Flash asked Green Lantern, "Do you know what they're saying?"

"No," Green Lantern answered back.

"Can't you use your ring to translate?"

"I can. But I won't."

"Why?"

"Flash," Wonder Woman said in annoyance, "if they wanted us to know what they were saying, they would speak English."

"You guys do know that us standing here while they debate… or whatever is very, very weird."

"Shut up, Flash," Wonder Woman and Green Lantern growled at the same time. Batman continued to watch the two hawks. He saw Shayera motion their away a couple of times. Then she started sneaking glances at them…or him? Interesting. A moment later, the two were shaking hands and walking to rejoin the group.

"You guys stood here and just stared at us the entire time?" Shayera asked with a raised brow.

"What else were we supposed to do?" Flash asked with a grin.

"I trust everything has been sorted," Batman said in a monotone voice, looking at the two girls. Shri glanced at him before covering a smile with her hand. "Yes, everything is okay," Shayera said, "Shri will help us."

"I'll bring the other league members up to speed," Superman said. "We need to prepare for the attack."

"I already have a plan," Batman said.

"Of course you do," Flash muttered. Batman glared at the speedster. "I'll bring you guys up to speed later. But right now, Shayera and I need to get back," he said glancing at he comm in his hand. "Something has come up. I'm needed in Gotham ASAP."

"Anything we can help with?" Superman asked.

"No," Batman said before turning on his heel and walking out the door. Shayera gave a small wave before following him.

"I can provide more information," Shayera heard Shri say as she and Batman walked out.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Shayera asked Batman after teleporting from the Watchtower to the batcave.

"Ah, Master Bruce," Alfred greeted them upon arrival. "Miss Shayera."

"He is here," Batman said stiffly.

"In the gym, sir." Batman gave a nod before saying, "Let's go, Shayera."

"Wha-" Shayera followed not understanding what was going on. "What is going on? Who are we meeting?"

"You'll see," he responded, his voice not giving anything away. Shayera entered the training gym behind Batman and saw a male hawk standing in the gym, inspecting it closely. "This is the hawkman you were telling me about?" Shayera asked. Carter turned. "Hey, Bats," he greeted.

"Do you have them?" Batman said.

"I do," Carter said. He placed a wide, thick briefcase on the bench and opened it. Shayera's brain didn't register what she was seeing until Carter held. "Here they are," he said proudly. Something white was draped over his forearms. "For you," Carter said to Shayera, holding his arms out towards her. Shayera moved closer to inspect the item in Carter's arms. It took her five seconds to realize what was being given to her. Her mouth dropped open in awe; she was speechless. Draped over Carter's arms were a pair of white, Thanagarian faux wings.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Shayera slowly reached a hand out to touch them. "I hope they're okay," Carter said. "Bats here wanted it to be a surprise, so I had to trust the measurements he gave me. I don't want to know how you were able to get the lieutenant's measurements, but I hope they turned out just right." Carter continued speaking, but Shayera didn't hear as his voice faded into the background. She was…this was…and he was…Shayera turned to Batman. "You did this for me?" she asked him, interrupting Carter who was still talking.

"Carter made them," Batman answered, "I just _umph_." Batman was stopped midsentence by Shayera kissing him. Shayera was on her tiptoes kissing him. They were kissing. He and Shayera were kissing. And she had initiated it. Batman remained calm outwardly as he slowly wrapped his arms around Shayera's waist. "Uhh," he heard Carter say uncomfortably. "I'll just…I know my way out," Carter said, slowly backing out the gym. Once he was gone, Shayera broke the kiss, removing Bruce's cowl. "Shayera," Bruce muttered softly.

"I'm sorry," Shayera said still standing on her tiptoes, breathing heavily. "I shouldn't have kissed you while you were still Batman, but I just – you just – and the wings – you," she didn't know what to say. So, she planted her lips on Bruce's once again, pressing her body into his. Bruce didn't know how to proceed. Any other female, they would have already been naked – or he would have had her up against a wall. But Shayera wasn't any female. He didn't want to scare her….or startle…he wasn't sure how…experienced she was with sex. Following her lead was the best course of action. Bruce wasn't the only one having an inner monologue while kissing, Shayera was having one, too. This wasn't how she had planned to share her feelings with Bruce, but then she saw the wings. She didn't know what to do. She had never felt this happy about anything before. Her wings had been the most precious thing in her life, and Bruce had just given them back to her. Her heart was swelling with joy and a whole bunch of other mushy things. "Thank you," Shayera breathed out. "Thank you. I – I don't know what else to say," she felt tears me to her eyes.

"You don't have to say anything, Shayera," Bruce said, resting his forehead against hers. He gazed into her large green eyes. "Yes, I do," Shayera whispered, not shying away from his gaze. "I have so much to thank you for," she said as tears slowly rolled down her face. Bruce used his thumbs to wipe the tears away as she continued, "No one's ever…" her voice faded.

"I know," Bruce said stroking her cheek as gently as possible through this black, military grade gloves.

"I can't – I have nothing to give you – " This time, Bruce interrupted her with his lips covering hers, all the while wishing he wasn't still wearing his stupid suit. "You owe me nothing," he said breathlessly as he continued kissing her senseless, sucking her lower lip, slipping his tongue in her mouth. Shayera was drowning in feelings and sensations. She had never felt this with John. Then again, she never actually let it get this far with John. She was loyal to Katar when it came to…bedroom intimacies. "You should try them on," Bruce said, pulling his lips only a few millimeters away from hers.

"I don't want to," Shayera said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Not now."

"It's okay," Bruce pressed a quick kiss to her lips, "we will continue this later, I promise." He kissed her hard before releasing her. "Try them on," he demanded, falling back into his Dark Knight role. "I'm gonna change." Shayera nodded, biting her lip. She had just made out with _the Batman_. She wanted to scream for joy, but she wouldn't because that would be weird for her. Instead she turned to the wings resting on the bench and began studying them, looking them over. It would feel weird, but these wings would definitely come in handy…as soon as she learned how to put them on.

* * *

Diana sat atop the Eiffel Tower, watching the city below. The meeting had been…eventful. She needed a moment to process. "May I join you?" Diana turned to her right. "Kal-el," she said in surprise. "Of course you can join me. You do not have to ask." Superman sat next to her. "Paris is beautiful at night," he said.

"Yes, it is," Diana agreed. "I come up here every now and then to think. To clear my head."

"Well," Kal-el said, "penny for your thoughts?" he gave her a simple nudge. Diana smiled. "I have been on this planet for a very long time, and I still do not understand that particular phrase. Do humans really believe thoughts to be worth a penny?" Kal-el shrugged before saying, "I don't know what it means either, and I actually lived _with _humans. Don't feel bad about not understanding their vernacular at times. But really, Diana, is everything okay?" he asked in concern. Diana released a heavy sigh. "I hated Shayera. I hated what she did to us. When they took her wings, I did not care. I thought she deserved it. I only fought them because you did. But I wanted her to feel how I felt when she betrayed us." Diana stared out into the distance. It was one hour before sunrise. "But then today, she said she did not tell her people any of our weaknesses."

"Yeah," Superman said. "That surprised me."

"I am thinking I may have been wrong in my assumptions of her. I do not know anything about her. I did not make an effort to get to know her before the invasion. We were the only two females on the team. We should have been as close as sisters. But I always kept her at an arm's length. When it turned out was a spy, and I was happy. I was justified in my reasons for not befriending her. But, maybe if I had been a friend to her…" Diana didn't finish that thought. "I thought she had told the Thanagarians everything about us. She was able to retrieve nuclear codes from countries without us knowing. And she handed the codes over to her kind without a second thought. Why did she lie about not knowing our weaknesses?"

"Before she flew away that day, she did say she didn't know the Thanagarians were planning an invasion."

"I didn't believe her," Diana said, tearing up. "I didn't believe her. I thought it was another lie. And so I hated her."

"Diana," Superman placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"When I close my eyes, I can still hear her scream," Diana said, pulling her knees to her chest. "That horrible cry, I have never heard such a heart wrenching noise in my life.

"You can't beat yourself up over this. You were not the only one mad at her that day. We all were."

"Wally was not. And Bruce once admitted that he might have done the same thing had he been in her position. And J'ohnn…" Diana thought back to that day. "Actually, I do not know what J'ohnn was thinking at all. He probably knows more about that invasion than any of us. He probably knows more than Shayera." Superman nodded in agreement. "I do not know what to do," Diana admitted.

"What do you want to do?" Superman asked.

"I want to yell at her. I want to hit her. And then I want to hug her and tell her how much I missed her." Superman stood to his feet and held a hand out to Diana. "What?" Diana asked, not sure what to do.

"Let's go. It's been a while since I've visited Bruce. And, I know he was planning on taking a few days off…just until this Thanagarian business is taken care of. He has been helping Shayera in her rehabilitation." Diana placed her hand in Superman's, and he helped her to her feet. "Wait," Diana said. "Do you know a country where it is daytime? I would like some strawberry ice cream." Superman laughed. "I actually taught myself how to make it," he said shyly. Diana's eyes widened with glee. "Really?" she gasped. Superman nodded. "How about we go to the Fortress of Solitude and…chill?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye as he pulled her closer.

"Like a date?" Diana asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Exactly, like a date."

"That would make it date number 3," Diana said.

"Is the third date special?"

"Not that I know of. I was just counting." Superman rubbed his nose against hers. "Let's go," he whispered, taking off into the night sky for some homemade ice cream…and whatever else followed.

* * *

Shri sat in the cafeteria, rigid and unmoving. According to the Martian Manhunter, it was almost 6 a.m., and the newer leaguers would be waking up right about…now. The doors to the cafeteria swished open, and Shri turned to see a group of heroes walk in. They froze when they saw the dark-skinned hawk sitting in their cafeteria. "Who are you?" a guy covered in blue from head to toe with pointy, thin wings sticking out from his back.

"Aren't you one of those bird-people who invaded us like three years ago?" another hero Shri could not see asked.

"It was two years ago," a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl stepped forward with her hands on her waist. She wore the same outfit Superman did, except she had a skirt. "Who are you?" the blonde asked, her eyes glowing red. "How'd you get in here?"

"Enough," the calm voice of the Martian Manhunter echoed throughout the cafeteria. He appeared right in front of the blonde, staring down at her. "Her name is Shri. She's our guest."

"Does my cousin know about this?" the girl demanded. Shri rolled her eyes. J'ohnn simply walked away from her. He didn't have time for this child's attitude and need to be the center of attention. He sat across from Shri. "That is Supergirl. She is the cousin of Superman," he stated. "You don't want to eat anything?"

"I am fine," Shri replied firmly.

"Shri," the green man said calmly, "you are safe here. You can relax." Shri looked down. She had never relaxed a day in her life. Thanagarians were trained to always be on guard, even when sleeping. "This is my first time away from home."

"You don't have family on Thanagar?"

"My parents were arrested and executed for speaking out against the ruling class. My mother was beheaded. My father died in prison. I was just entering my first year of training when they were arrested. I never saw them again. I was raised in a…a…um…you guys have a lot of them in Gotham. With bunches of children."

"Orphanage."

"Yes," Shri said, "orphanage. That is where I was raised before my recruitment into the Thanagarian army."

"I am sorry for all you've been through, Shri." Shri shrugged. "I am not. I do not even remember what my parents looked like."

"But learning how to fight from an early age is no childhood."

"I do not know what a childhood is, but I survived my first obstacle course at age 5. I was…humans say…overachiever," Shri stated proudly. Her face then fell. "What is it?" J'ohnn asked curiously.

"If I do survive this…invasion. I will be _expulsus…_banished from Thanagar."

"Shri, I thought it was obvious," J'ohnn said. Shri stared at him confusion. "You are welcome to stay here, on Earth."

"Where?" she asked.

"Here. In the Watchtower."

"With them?" she pointed to group of young heroes openly gaping at her and the Martian Manhunter. "Why can't I stay with you?" The Martian Manhunter blinked his red eyes once, then twice. For a moment, he said absolutely nothing. "You would want to live with me?" he asked

"Yeah. You're the only one who really talks to me. And I don't want to be stuck here in this building. I will feel trapped. Do you not live on Earth?"

"I do live on Earth."

"You do not have enough room in your house?"

"I have plenty of room."

"You just do not want me there."

"That is not it at all, Shri," J'ohnn said firmly. "I just was not expecting you to ask that." J'ohnn paused, seemingly weighing his options. He stood up. "Come with me. I will show you where I live."

"Really?" Shri asked, not bothering to hide her excitement.

"Yes, besides, you have been locked up in here for almost a month. You need some air," he said as he escorted her out the cafeteria, ignoring the prying and spiteful eyes around them.


	31. Chapter 31

"How's she doing?" Carter asked Batman as they both watched Shayera fly into a wall…again.

"She's doing better," Batman said in his gruff voice causing Carter to step away in mild fear. "She no longer feels pain when she wears them." He watched as Shayera flew through a makeshift obstacle course.

"Yeah," Carter said, "Hawks who have lost their organic wings have a hard time adjusting to the faux wings. Part of the wings that connects to the body, safely reattaches to the place the organic wings once were. You can't tell from the outside, but those wounds never heal. It just becomes scar tissue. It's why it hurts."

"Hmm," Batman groaned in response as Shayera flew to the man, landing ungracefully on her feet. "That was my best time," she gasped, actually sweating and out of breath. Batman silently walked past her, gently brushing shoulders. "Where are you going?" Shayera asked.

"Raising the difficulty level," Batman replied, leaving the two hawks alone.

"A real chatty one, he is," Carter said.

"He's harmless," Shayera said. Carter raised an eyebrow. "If you're his friend. Other than that, he is very deadly," she amended.

"Sweet. I'm guessing you know his secret identity," Carter said.

"What makes you say that?" Shayera asked.

"You've been staying with him for like, 4 months." Shayera only shrugged her shoulders. "You guys…together?"

"You talk a lot," Shayera glared at him.

"Silence makes me nervous. Always has. You don't remember me, do you?" Shayera stared at him, recognition nowhere on her face. "Graduation day. Twelve years ago. I got pinned to the wall. Twenty arrows flying at me. You deflected them all." Shayera thought back…hard.

_ Shayera was almost finished. One more obstacle and she would break the record. She dodged flaming arrows, flew through spiked hoops that would snap shut in intervals. (The spikes were pointed inward.) The finish line was a couple feet ahead, when something on the other side of the U-shaped course caught her eye. One of her classmates…Caryn…Tarer…Cat…she couldn't remember his name, but he was pinned to the wall, arrows pointing at him from every direction. Unbidden, a cloud of fury she didn't know she had hanging over her head dispersed rained rage down on her. She cut across the obstacle course. She could hear shocking gasps from the audience. With a burst of speed, Shayera came to a halt right in front of what's-his-name and deflected all the arrow with her mace. The stadium went silent. The obstacle course began to slowly shut down. But Shayera didn't care. She pulled the arrow out of the boy's wing. "Thanks," he said. Shayera didn't answer him. She did place his arm around her shoulder and helped him to the finish line. She still didn't acknowledge the boy's existence. She was glaring at her father who was marching towards her. Fury, rage – those words didn't come close to what she saw on his face. Also, he wasn't flying. She was in a lot of trouble. But a part of her no longer cared. She could see her father's hard eyes murdering her from behind his cowl. Behind him was her mother and demented sister, who looked like she was about to burst with laughter any moment. Her father stood in front of her, breathing heavy, body shaking with anger. His wrath was palpable. He demanded she kneel before him without saying anything. His eyes said it all. Shayera returned his glare. The pain from her father's slap didn't register until she hit the ground. Her vision had gone white for a split second. She lifted a shaky hand to her face. Half of her mask was gone. Blood came from her nose and mouth, the pain immediately setting in. Her skull was on fire, and she wanted to scream and cry. But Talov was not finished with his daughter. She watched as her father grabbed her wing, painfully. He dragged her, slammed her wing against the wall, and pinned it to the wall via spear. Searing, white – hot pain rushed through her entire body. She had to release a scream. She watched with blurry vision as her family walked away from her, her sister smiling at her before whipping her head and body around. Shayera slowly reached up, tears rushing down her face, to the spear protruding from her wing. With all her remaining strength, she yanked the spear from her wing and fell to her knees. The pain was unbearable. Her ears were ringing; blood was gushing from the wound on her wing. She slowly stood to her feet, struggling. She took one step and fell to the ground in a heap. Shayera decided to stay right where she was – curled up in a ball, her injured wing covering her body – as she prayed for death._

"That was you?" Shayera exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. Carter nodded. "I never got the chance to say 'thank you'," he continued nervously, "so thank you." Shayera simply nodded. "Ready to go again?" Batman asked.

"How long has he been standing there?" Carter whispered. "How did I night hear him? Did you hear him? I didn't."

"Relax, Carter," Shayera landed hard, bro-hit to his back. Carter flinched in pain. That was going to bruise. Shayera walked into the gym, ready to run through the obstacle course again.


	32. Chapter 32

Shri studied the inside of J'ohnn's house while J'ohnn's red eyes followed her every move. The house was painted white…beige…she wasn't sure. His walls were bare for the most part. Decor was minimal. A few picture frames of himself in his human disguise were scattered throughout. She looked back at J'ohnn. Instead of a green alien with red eyes, she was staring at a dark-skinned male with no hair on the top of his head. _Bald_ is what the humans call it. In this human form, he was called John Jones; he was also a homicide detective. He had her remove her wings before entering the house, just in case a neighbor was watching.

J'ohnn motioned for Shri to follow him upstairs. There were four bedrooms, each sporting one full-sized bed and one dresser. "Why do you have such a big house? You live alone," Shri said. J'ohnn shrugged his shoulders. "It was the only one available at the time," he stated calmly.

"I would like to live here," Shri stated firmly. "With you. Not alone. Not because I'm scared, but I am new to this planet." She crossed her arms. J'ohnn gave her a subtle smile. "Of course," he said. "We can move your things here – "

"I don't have things," Shri said. "The clothes the League provided me, along with the ones I came to Earth wearing, are all I have. The knives you personally confiscated are also mine," Shri fixed J'ohnn with a hard stare. "But that is all I possess.

"Well," J'ohnn placed his arms behind his back, "the next logical step is for me to take you shopping.

"_Shaw_-_ping_? What?" Shri was very confused.

"And if you intend to stay on Earth, you will need an identity – a new name. What would you like to be called?"

* * *

Shayera rotated the two, thin long swords in her hand before facing her opponent. "Are you sure you don't want me to use the practice ones?"

"You need to get used to using these weapons. They're lighter than your mace."

"They will snap in half once they come into contact with Thanagarian weapons."

"No, they won't," Bruce said, gripping his bo-staff with two hands. "Clark forged them from metals found on his planet. They won't break."

"You asked him to do that…for me?"

"You always look surprised whenever someone, mainly me, does something nice for you."

"I am just used to earning everything," Shayera explained. "I have never had anything given to me out of kindness."

"You need to get used to it," Bruce said as the two began to circle each other. "You're dating a billionaire. Depending on the day, I may drown you in gifts."

"We are dating?" Shayera asked. "I was not aware," she smirked.

"Now you are," Bruce replied. All humor left Shayera's face. "I do not want to hurt you," Shayera said, holding up her two weapons.

"You won't hurt me. I trust you."

"Are you sure?" Shayera wanted clarification.

"Yes, now let's begin." Shayera quickly began attacking Bruce. Bruce easily dodged her attack, rolling underneath her before swiping her legs with a bo-staff. "Ugh!" Shayera landed on her back.

"I have never seen you move so slow," Bruce said smugly. Shayera rolled to her feet. "It is the wings," she said. "They are hindering me." Concern marred her features. "What if I cannot get used them?" she asked Bruce.

"Maybe it's a mental thing," Bruce said, attacking first. Shayera successfully blocked his first punch, and 99% of the other combination attacks he threw at her. Unfortunately, not even one of her swipes, strikes, or kicks landed. He dodged, blocked, evaded, parried. She felt faulty. The wings felt heavy and awkward. Flying through hips was easy, but fighting was a different story. She felt slow. She felt defective. She was tiring.

The fight came to an end when Bruce's bo made contact with her leg and upper arm which he followed with a spinning kick to her face. Shayera's head hit the mat hard, bouncing a few times. She glared at Bruce from the floor, blowing a strand of hair from out of her face. "Your guard was down," Bruce smirked.

"You are lucky I no longer have a helmet. Your foot would be broken," she motioned to Bruce's bare feet as she stood to her feet. A giant, red mark covered the side of her face. She brought her swords up once more. "Are you sure you want to keep going?" Bruce asked. "You've been training all day. You've done obstacle courses, flight patterns - "

"Don't get soft on me," Shayera pointed a sword at him.

"Fine," Bruce didn't argue. This is what she wanted. They lunged for each other at the same time, with Bruce easily gaining the upper hand. Seconds later, he had Shayera in an easy arm bar. She fought to get out of it. But with her wings flapping out of sync with each other, tapping out was her only choice. Bruce released her, and she immediately screamed in her hands in frustration. "Let's try something else," Bruce suggested. He sat cross-legged on the mat and motioned for Shayera to do the same. She sat across from him, mimicking his position.

"Close your eyes," Bruce ordered gently.

"Is this some type of yoga thing?" Shayera asked skeptically as she obeyed.

"No," Bruce scoffed. "Something I learned while training at hidden monastery in the Himalayas."

"The Himalayas?" Shayera asked, "You travelled a lot."

"Yes. I-"

"Did you make it to the top of Everest?"

"I wasn't there to climb-"

"Wait. There's a hidden monastery in the Himalayas? Do you know how many times I flew-"

"Are you going to keep interrupting me or can I continue?"

"Sorry," Shayera said bashfully.

"As I was saying. I think the problem is you. You're fighting your wings."

"What?"

"Through my many conversations with Carter, in which he did all of the talking, I learned some things about Thanagarians."

"Like what?"

"Well…you guys don't lay eggs, contrary to popular belief," Bruce said with a smirk.

"Seriously?" Shayera said, "people really think we lay eggs?"

"Since you are bird-people, people assume you lay eggs."

"Humans call us 'bird-people' and hawks. Everybody else calls us Thanagarians because that is what we are."

"Back to what I was saying - for the wings to really work, you have to form an emotional connection." Shayera immediately burst out laughing. Bruce raised an eyebrow, not that she could see. "Oh, you were serious," Shayera said when Bruce didn't respond.

"Yes. Sit up straight. Breathe deeply. Answer my questions. First thing that comes to mind. What do you like most about flying?" Shayera sighed. They were really doing this. "The freedom it brings. The feeling of weightlessness. The wind in my face as I soar through the air," Shayera answered honestly with a smile. "I also enjoy looking down on everyone else. I feel…powerful."

"What do you like most about your wings?"

"They are white and soft and fluffy. My favorite thing to do is curl up in a ball and wrap my wings around myself," she finished enthusiastically.

"Hmm…Imagine yourself soaring. Imagine yourself wrapped in the safety of your wings. Imagine all of things you just told me." Shayera again listened. "Breathe into your memories. Dive into them. Allow them to surround you." Shayera did. She relived every flying moment that brought her joy; Bruce's soothing voice helped. After a few minutes, he asked, "Are you okay? You relaxed?"

"Yes."

"Good. I want you to remember that I am right here with you. You are safe with me," Bruce emphasized.

"Okay, yeah."

"Good. So are you soaring, or are you wrapped in a ball?"

"Soaring," Shayera answered immediately.

"I want you to imagine yourself soaring through the clouds when suddenly…your wings are torn off your back," Bruce finished quickly.

"Bruce!" Shayera shouted in horror. She was _not _going to do that.

"Trust me, Shayera!" she felt Bruce grab her hands. "Just do it."

"We've already had this conversation!" Shayera retorted. Her breathing became shallow as her mind brought her back to that wretched day.

"Shayera-"

"Why do you want me to relive this?" Shayera almost cried as she began to panic.

"Shayera," Bruce said her name firmly. "Trust me." Shayera felt Bruce caress the palms of her hand with his thumbs, trying to calm her. "You're strong, and you're safe here." Shayera's panicky breathing returned to normal. "Okay," she whispered. Bruce interlocked their fingers (something he never thought he would ever do with anyone). "You were soaring," he continued. "Your wings were just torn off your back. What's the first thing you do?"

"I start screaming…and – and – and flailing."

"What are you feeling?"

"Fear…p-pain." She saw herself on the ground, screaming in pain. Inconsolable. "Alone," she paused. "D-death," she breathed out as she felt Bruce gently kiss her knuckles. "And then darkness."

"What's the one thing you would wish for in that moment?"

"My wings," Shayera said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Okay," Bruce intertwined their fingers again. "Your wings are back. You are now standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to test your new wings. Can you see it?" Shayera felt Bruce's fingers slowly slip from hers.

"Yes," she answered.

"You want to leap. You prepare to leap. But something is stopping you? What is it? The first thing that comes to mind," Bruce ordered.

"I – I – I am scared," Shayera admitted.

"Why?"

"I don't want to lose my wings again," she cried. "It hurt so much the first time around. I cannot go through that again." She felt Bruce gently wipe tears from her eyes, which were still closed. She felt weird…different. "How do you feel?" Bruce asked.

"Weightless," she answered immediately.

"Shayera, open your eyes." She slowly blinked her eyes open, adjusting to the bright lights of the gym. Her legs were still crossed, and she was face-to-face, eye-to eye with Bruce. Only, Bruce was standing on his two feet. If he was standing, and her legs were still crossed, but she was eye level with Bruce, that must mean – Shayera gasped as she looked down. She was floating, and she wasn't even trying. It was as if her real wings were…there. "How – how – " she looked at Bruce.

"This is all you," he said with a smile. Shayera immediately wrapped Bruce in a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Shayera," Bruce said in a strained voice, "you're still slightly stronger than me. You're crushing me."

"Sorry," Shayera said, quickly pushing him away. She landed gracefully on the floor. "Want to have another go at sparring?" Bruce asked.

"You're going down," Shayera said, flying to the center of the mat.

"We'll see," Bruce followed.


	33. Chapter 33

Bruce hit the mat for the umpteenth time in the past hour. He never once sparred with Shayera when she was part of the league. But having fought beside her, he knew she was a capable fighter, but damn…Bruce groaned rolling onto his back. He was going to be in so much pain tomorrow. He looked to see a sharp object an inch from his neck. The owner of said object, an angel, stood above him, smirking. "Another round?" the beautiful angel, a smug look in her green eyes.

"No thank you," he said. He knew when to quit. His body had taken enough beatings for one day. "Makes it 7 to 4," Shayera said. "That makes me the winner." Bruce was fine with that. He was thoroughly exhausted. He would sleep well tonight. Shayera decided to join Bruce on the mat. She lay opposite Bruce. Their heads were right next to each other, but their legs pointed east and west. "Your confidence sky-rocketed," Bruce said, still attempting to get his breathing under control.

"Because of you," Shayera replied.

"That was all you," Bruce responded. "You made the decision to trust me."

"You make it easy," Shayera whispered. She turned her head to find the most beautiful pair eyes already watching. _Wow, he's gorgeous,_ Shayera thought, a weird sensation pooled in her stomach. Shayera held her breath; their faces were centimeters apart. Bruce rolled onto his stomach, supporting his upper body up with his elbows. His face hovered over hers. Shayera bit one side of her lip, still holding her breath, trying to predict his next move. His blue eyes boring into her green ones. She exhaled as he stroked her face from chin to forehead. She was excited and nervous. She felt like goo when Bruce's lips finally pressed against her own. Bruce's lips parted and Shayera nearly jumped when she felt his tongue on her lower lip. She knew what he wanted. She slowly, shyly, parted her lips. Bruce took advantage of the opportunity and began to deepen the kiss as he caressed her lower lip with his own. Slowly, Shayera began growing bolder. She opened her mouth even wider, allowing Bruce's tongue to slowly invade her mouth. Shayera's hand immediately shot into Bruce's hair when she felt his tongue brus her own, a moan emanating from within. He angled his mouth again, Shayera followed his lead as he once again kissed her lower lip, biting it just a little. Shayera's heart pounded in her chest; her breathing sounded loud in her ears. Another moan released from within her, embarrassing her just a bit. But Bruce didn't seem to mind. Instead, the intensity of his kiss grew, as his tongue once again gently entered her mouth, brushing against her lips. This time, she took the initiative and brushed her tongue against his. Judging from the hitch in his breath, she had caught him off guard. And no matter how much she longed to continue this…make-out session…she needed to breathe, but she didn't want to stop. Bruce must have had the same idea, because he began to slow his kisses, lessening the intensity. He kissed the tip of her noise; kissed each eyelid (Shayera hadn't even realized her eyes were closed), and then rested his forehead against hers. _Wow_, was the only word that came to Shayera's mind – their heavy breathing echoing throughout the empty gym. Shayera could hear her heart pounding in her chest. She had felt that kiss…everywhere. She reached her hand up again and slowly buried it fingers in Bruce's hair, not caring at all that it was wet with sweat. She relaxed as she felt Bruce's breath on her cheek. She wasn't sure what to do with herself after…_that_. Should she thank him for the kiss? Tell him he did a great job, and she would enjoy doing it again? "I can hear you thinking," Bruce said, a smile in his voice. "Just relax. Breathe," he slowly dragged a finger across her swollen, red lips. This time, his head was in the cradle of her neck; and she could feel each gentle puff of air. These emotions, feelings, chemical reactions or whatever – she wasn't taught any of this. Yes, she was taught the basics of sex, but that was it. It's not like she dated on Thanagar. She was betrothed to her fiancée at age 1. This thing with her and Bruce – completely new territory. She was at a lost. If only she had a female friend to talk to – one who was good at this kind of stuff. "Master Bruce," they both heard as Alfred entered the gym. "Mr. Clark and Miss Diana are here to see you," Alfred scrutinized their positions on the floor with a raised brow and smirk, "or should I send them away, sir? Tell them you're busy." Shayera saw amusement in his eyes and quickly blushed. "No, Alfred," Bruce said, sitting up. Shayera followed suit. "Don't send them away. We just finished."

"I bet," Alfred muttered. Shayera's face reddened even more. "Sparring, Alfred," Bruce quickly explained to his satirical butler, "we just finished sparring."

"I gather you'll both be taking quick showers," Alfred stated.

"Yes," Bruce said helping Shayera to her feet, "we will be showering." Alfred raised his brow again. "Separately, Alfred," Bruce clarified, pinching his nose.

"Of course, sir," Alfred said, "that goes without saying." Bruce rolled his eyes at his butler while Shayera's face turned beet red. "Give me 15 minutes," Bruce he said to Alfred as he walked up the steps, his butler behind him. "Are you sure you'll have enough time to scrub your body afterwards, sir?" Alfred asked in a serious manner. Shayera blushed. "Thank you, Alfred," Bruce said, silently begging his butler to stop. Bruce began jogging up the steps leading to the second floor.

"The condoms are – "

"Alfred!" Bruce yelled. Shayera smiled. "I will see you soon, Miss Shayera," Alfred said calmly.

"Yes," Shayera responded before running to the room she currently occupied. She did not want to be the target of one of Alfred's…repartees.


	34. Chapter 34

Shayera, Bruce, Clark, and Diana sat quietly in the study. Awkwardness, tension, discomfort filled the air. Alfred stuck his head into the study and motioned for Bruce to follow him. Bruce excused himself before leaving the room. A second later, Bruce popped his head into the study and asked Clark to accompany him somewhere. Clark was off the couch and out the door in half of a second, leaving the two heroines sitting across from each other in a silent staring contest. After a few minutes of sizing each other up, Shayera was the first one to speak. "Come on, Diana," Shayera said stiffly, "say what you want to say. Get it over with."

"How are you, Shayera?" Diana asked in the same tone.

"Do not play polite with me, princess," Shayera all but sneered. "I am the only one here. I will not tell anyone if you accidentally swear…or burp."

"Fine," Diana leaned forward. "How could you, Shayera? We were your friends. Your family. And you handed us over like we were nothing."

"If it makes you feel any better, it wasn't personal. I was doing my job. I thought as a warrior, you of all people would understand." Diana pressed her lips together. "What would you have done if you were in my position?" Shayera asked. "But I don't think that is what you are really upset about. So say what it is you actually want to say. I have other things that I could be doing so stop wasting time." Diana's façade changed. The stiff posture she was displaying disappeared, and her face fell. Her face became more open, more vulnerable. "You hurt me," Diana said. "When I left Themyscira, I was not allowed to return. I left my family and friends behind. I was very lonely. But then the Justice League formed and…you were there. Suddenly, I didn't feel so…alone. There was another female around. Someone I could bond with, become sisters with. And we never really saw eye-to-eye, but it was still nice to have a female around to just have a laugh with. I saw us as…friends. But then you betrayed us. And I was so mad. But then you saved us, and I became even more upset. I remember standing in this very room, deciding your fate. Wally immediately voted in favor of you staying, Bruce was, surprisingly, for you staying a-"

"Bruce wanted me to stay?" Shayera asked in shock, confusion, and …shock.

"Yes," Diana said. "You did not know?" Shayera shook her head. "He said he would have done the same if he were in your shoes," Diana said. "I, of course, was against you. I wanted you gone. But, while we were still deliberating, you already decided to leave. You looked so…miserable and pathetic and contrite. And my anger towards you grew. I was so happy you left. And for two years, I never thought of you. I had washed my hands of you. Then your sister contacted us. I didn't even know you were still on the planet. But I wanted you gone. We argued over whether or not we should hand you over. But they threatened invade Earth. The decision was made. When I saw you again…my anger for you returned like a tsunami. I wanted you out of my life. When they tore your wings – " Diana's voice broke. "I was so happy. You were finally getting the justice I thought you deserved. And I was so ashamed. I had realized a long time ago that you really were stuck between a rock and a hard place. You owed this planet nothing. It was not your world or your home. And you chose us anyway. Your entire planet disowned you – majority of humans hate you…but I don't hate you, Shayera. I am done being mad and angry and upset over decisions made by you, because at the end of the day; I would have chosen the way you did, too. I was hurt because…" a tear rolled down Diana's face, "I thought we were friends." Shayera sat in silence, listening to Diana pour out her heart. She slowly stood from her position on the couch and walked over to her friend. "I really am sorry, Diana. I just…I didn't know what to do. I was so confused at the time."

"I know," Diana said, "I get that now."

"I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to hurt anybody. I did not think of how my actions would affect the rest of the team. I only thought of myself."

"It was an awful situation you were in, Shayera." Shayera nodded. "Diana," Shayera turned to her, "I cannot tell you how sorry I am."

"I know, Shayera," Diana gripped the younger woman's hands. "I am sorry for how I have treated you these past months. It was unfair. I should – " She stopped when she felt arms around her. Shayera was hugging her. Diana reciprocated the hug. "I missed you, too, Diana," Shayera said.

"I missed you too, sister," Diana said. The two females eventually separated, both with tears in their eyes. "Now tell me about this new relationship with Bruce. Have you consummated your love for each other?" Shayera felt her face redden as her eyes widened with newfound horror.

* * *

This was it, Issi thought. In a few hours, they would phase into Earth's solar system; and she would finally get to kill that traitorous bitch she called her sister. Why couldn't she have been born first? Issi gripped the railing of the catwalk in the command ship. Her sister was such a waste of talent…a waste of wings…a waste of life. Even when she made horrific mistakes, her parents still chose her over Issi, simply because Issi was born 2 years later. She was going to crush her traitorous sister. She was going to literally wipe her bitch of a sister from existence. Shayera Hol was about to become a distant memory.


	35. Chapter 35

"One minute until impact, Lieutenant," the pilot said to Issi, who was the perfect picture of poise. "Good," Issi snarled.

"Are you sure you'll be able to kill your own sister?" Katar asked, coming to stand behind her.

"Will you be able to kill the woman your heart desires?" Issi shot back.

"Your sister and my relationship was platonic at best."

"But you'd rather be married to her than me," Issi glared at him through her war mask. Katar said nothing. "Why don't you worry about taking down Earth's Man of Steel?" Issi said.

"Are you certain this _Lex Luthor _is trustworthy?" Katar asked, staring down at his mace lined with kryptonite.

"No," Issi said with a scoff. "He is very untrustworthy. But I was his jailer last time we were on Earth. All he talked about was how much he hated Superman and all of the different ways he was planning on killing Superman."

"All stop in 3…2…1," the pilot said, all ships coming to an abrupt halt. "Earth up ahead." Issi straightened her gold gauntlets. She gave her husband a rye smile before kissing the underside of his jaw. "Let's go kill my sister."

* * *

Carter, or Hawkman, walked the halls of the Watchtower, whistling a merry tune – swinging his mace. He loved it up here. Being that he was big into astrology and astronomy, looking out the windows at the stars was his favorite pastime. Sometimes, he felt so close, he could almost touch them. A gaggle of chatting superheroines walked past him. Of course, the stars weren't the only view-worthy things in the Watchtower. One of the female leaguers, green from head to toe, turned and gave him a sultry wink before walking away with a flirtatious sway to her hips. Oh yeah, he could totally get used to this. He turned to look out a nearby window, his superior eyesight homing in on a flying object. _Crap_! He flew to the monitor room. Instead of the Martian, Booster Gold stood at the helm. "We need to alert Superman!" Hawkman yelled. "They're here! Thanagarians are here!"

* * *

Shayera stood on the balcony, staring up at the early morning sky. Clark and Diana had left around 2 a.m. – 15 minutes ago. "How was your talk with Diana?" she heard from behind her. She turned to face Bruce. "I didn't hear any shouting. Nothing was broken." Shayera smiled as Bruce came closer to her. "We were fi-" Shayera's voice broke. She turned her head towards the sky. The hair on her arms stood up. She could sense them. Lights resembling stars began to appear. "Bruce," she said as he too raised his head to the sky.

"Those aren't shooting stars, are they?" he asked as he followed her gaze.

"No. They're here." As soon as the words left her lips, all hell broke loose.


	36. Chapter 36

**Short chapters - I know. But I'm working on the fight scene. It's taking a while.**

* * *

Mass panic erupted over Gotham, Metropolis, and other surrounding cities as both Thanagarians and Thanagarian warships rained down from the sky. The heroes who weren't able to breathe in space, fought the bird-people on Earth. The heroes with no flight ability fought the Thanagarians grounded after their faux wings were successfully ripped from their bodies. Shri, J'ohnn, and other heroes did their best to prevent the Thanagarians from entering the Watchtower. "They just keep coming!" a lantern shouted.

"We need to find the command ship," Shri said to J'ohnn. "They'll continue to fight until the leaders tell them otherwise."

"I believe Shayera and Batman are working on that."

* * *

"Are you sure?" Bruce asked as he and Shayera briskly walked the halls of the Watchtower. Shayera was brandishing her long swords. He had yet to pull his cowl over his head. But since the Watchtower was empty, save Superman and Wonder Woman, he wasn't worried about this identity being exposed.

"Even with the world governments fighting…Thanagar's soldiers won't stop coming until Issi tells them to stop. And she won't tell them to stop until I am dead. Superman can get me to their command ship, past…everyone." Shayera stopped walking. "I can't move on with this hanging over my head. I need to cut ties with Thanagar once and for all." Shayera turned away from him and kept walking. "No matter who dies, this thing with Thanagar ends today. Hey!" she exclaimed. Bruce gripped her around the waist and pulled her tight against his body before backing her against the wall. He grabbed the back of her head with his free hand and smashed their lips together. His tongue pushed past her lips and teeth, his mouth hot against hers. Shayera didn't know how, but her tongue ended up in his mouth…which was new for her…battling his tongue as he sucked and gently bit her lower lip, causing her to release a long, drawn out moan she tried very hard to contain. Bruce abruptly broke the kiss while pulling his cowl over his head, leaving her breathless. "Don't die," he said as he turned and walked away from her. Shayera herself was in a happy stupor. She placed her hand against her chest, willing her racing heart to slow, as she leaned back against the wall. Her face felt…hot. She needed some air. After a few seconds, she straightened and began to walk to the monitor room. Her legs felt like jell-o . "I'll be in the Batwing," Batman was saying to Superman and Wonder Woman, who looked up when Shayera entered the room.

"You okay, Shayera?" Wonder Woman asked with a knowing smirk. "Your face looks…flushed."

"I'm fine," Shayera said, looking down, pretending to check her weapons.

"Robin and Red Robin are helping where they can in Gotham," Batman said. "I'll be in constant contact with them."

"Sounds good," Superman said. "Are you ready, Shayera?" he asked.

"Let's do this," Shayera answered.


	37. Chapter 37

**I rewrote this chapter because I did not like how it originally turned out. I may rewrite it again.**

* * *

_What a rush! _Shayera thought as Superman rammed his body through the Thanagarian ship. She had never flown with Superman before. But man was he fast! "There's nobody here," Superman said as he and Shayera walked the silent halls of the huge Thanagarian command ship. At the very least, it was the length of a football field. And from what he could see, he and Shayera were on the fourth – the top level – of the ship. Superman's body began to slowly sway. He used the wall to brace himself. "Are you okay?" Shayera asked in concern, stopping beside him.

"I'm fine," Superman said as he righted himself, "I was momentarily dizzy. Which doesn't make any sense, there's no kryptonite in these walls."

"No," Shayera swaid, "they're lined with Nth metal."

"Oh…I don't do well around magic."

"It's not magic," Shayera said matter-of-factly.

"To us, it is – meaning the people of Earth – it might as well be." They both stopped in front of two closed doors.

"Will you be – "

"I'll be fine." Superman stared through the doors via his x-ray vision. "I see four figures. One female."

"Issi," Shayera growled. "She's mine." Superman nodded. He wasn't going to argue with her. "I'll take the other 5," he said as his eyes glowed red.

* * *

Issi stood with her arms folded, glaring through the eye slits of her war mask. She was watching the battle taking place before her. The foot soldiers had already broken through the atmospheres surrounding Earth. But, she was annoyed. She did not expect the other world leaders to help the Justice League. Every able-bodied world government had sent their fighter jets to protect their people which was shocking. From what she'd read of this world's history, peace and unity were the farthest things from these humans' minds. "Lieutenant," one of her personal guards motioned to the monitors. "She's here. With the Kryptonian."

"You think you can handle him?" Issi asked Katar.

"Don't worry about me," Katar answered as he picked up his mace, the spike tips glowing green with kryptonite."

"Are you ready?" Issi asked, as she turned to face the doors.

"Are you?" Katar said, watching as a laser cut through their doors.

* * *

"Ready for this?" Superman asked. Shayera nodded. Superman's eyes glowed red as his laser vision pierced through the Thanagarian metal, carving a giant hole in the door. He flew in first, followed by Shayera. Judging from the monitors, this was the command ship; but there were only four occupants in the room. The two lieutenants were easily spotted; and the other two seemed to be wearing silver armor instead of gold. Bodyguards, maybe? "_Well, well, well_," Lieutenant Issi mocked in Thanagarian. "_Look who was able to get her wings back. You know, the fake wings are a better look on you," _Issi lowered into a fighting stance, holding a mace defensively…Shayera's mace.

"You don't have to do this," Superman said. "Just fly away and go back to Thanagar." Issi laughed. "Not happening, Krypton. But we will give you a chance to give up," she responded.

"Your quarrel is with me, Issi," Shayera stepped forward. "Call off the attack, and you and I can settle this alone on a battlefield."

"No. _I'd rather kill you and your planet_." She then lunged at Shayera as Katar and the two other guards attacked Superman. Shayera felt her sister's anger with every _clank _of their weapons. They were evenly matched, neither one able to land a blow on the other. Shayera realized, fighting Issi in the air would do nothing but exhaust her. Blocking a blow to her head, Shayera realized she needed to ground Issi. "_What's the matter, sis_?" Shayera said as she lunged expertly at Issi. "_No taunts," _Shayera said as the edge of her weapon made contact with Issi's helmet, causing a small crack to appear. 

_"I am not your sister," _Issi spat angrily as she blocked the incoming knee to her stomach. She swung her mace in an attempt to put space between her and Shayera. But Shayera was able to easily dodge the clumsy swing and block Issi's next attack. The sisters' fighting once again picked up momentum. Through the barrage of swings and attacks, the two still continued to shout taunts at each other in their native tongue. But it all came to a head when Issi was able to land a lucky shot on Shayera's back, right where her real wings used to be. Shayera immediately fell to the floor as the pain soared through her back and into her head. She immediately fell to one knee. Issi landed in front of her and looked down at her smugly. _"The faux wings aren't as sturdy as organic wings. They don't protect the scar tissue in your back." _Shayera grabbed a small dagger she had hidden in her boots and flung it at her sister's face. "_Ahh!" _Issi screamed as the sharp object made contact with her eye before embedding itself into a wall. Her hand immediately covered her damaged eye, giving Shayera the opening she needed to land a roundhouse kick to her sister's stomach. Acting quickly, Shayera plunged a spear into one of her sister's wings. "_Ahh!" _Issi screamed as her body automatically recoiled in pain. Her wings began flapping out of sync with each other. She wasn't able to leave the ground. Issi ripped the spear from her own wing with a war cry. Now they were on even ground; and as much as Shayera loved the feel of her faux wings – they would be more of a hindrance than an asset. She pressed the release button on her chest as Issi squared up with her. _"You really expect to beat me with no wings?" _Issi mocked as Shayera's wings fell to the floor. _"I only need one good wing to beat you," _Issi continued as Shayera also dropped her spear. She was going to get her mace back; and to do that, she would need both hands free. _"Pathetic," _Issi growled as she charged Shayera. Unfortunately, Issi didn't realize just how much of an affect not having one wing would be on her balance. Instead of a fluid attack, her swing was clunky; and her legs wobbled with each step. Shayera took complete advantage of the situation by dodging every attack and striking at every weak spot in the Thanagarian armor. In an act of desperation, Issi lifted the mace above her head in an attempt to bring it down upon Shayera. Shayera used an easy X-block, grabbing Issi's wrist in the process. With one quick snap, Issi dropped the mace and fell to her knees. Shayera quickly picked up the fallen weapon and, with a well-placed swing, made contact with the side of Issi's helmet – affectively ending the fight. Issi landed on her stomach with a thud. Half of her helmet was gone; blood poured from the open wound on her wing; and Issi grasped her left wrist in pain. Before she could stand to her feet, Shayera grabbed Issi by her injured wing and dragged her to the ship's console. _ "Call off the attack!" _Shayera demanded.

_"Over my dead body!" _Issi spat as blood began to pour from her open head wound. "Call it off!" Shayera demanded once again. Issi spat in her face. Shayera immediately gripped her sister by the throat and began slowly squeezing. "You…won't…do it," Issi gasped. "You're too…weak," she coughed.

"You're right," Shayera admitted. "But General Trogaar will."

"You're…bluffing," Issi said weakly. Shayera looked deep into Issi's eyes. "_You_ took_ my_ _wings from me," _Shayera growled, shaking in anger. "_You were going to hand me over to them like I was nothing! Trust me when I say I am not bluffing!_" Shayera slammed Issi's head against the console. She was running out of patience. "_Do it! Or I'll contact Trogaar myself_," Shayera threatened. Issi tried to fight her older sister's grip. "Fine," Shayera said resolutely. After punching in a few buttons, a hologram of General Trogaar appeared. "_What now you – oh," _he said as he realized he was not speaking to Issi. "_Well this is a surprise. You are the one that was promised to us."_

_ "I'd like to make an exchange," _Shayera replied in the Gordanian language. "_You get Issi-"_

"Alright! Alright! I'll do it!" Issi screamed.

"_Now_!" Shayera ordered angrily. Issi immediately spoke into a communicator attached to her sleeve and ordered every Thanagarian to stand down. Shayera looked out the giant window and watched as the Thanagarian ships ceased fire almost immediately and began to retreat. Shayera released her grip on Issi, dropping her onto the floor. Shayera began typing on the computer. "What are you doing?" Issi asked weakly, her injured wing laying lifeless by her side as blood continued to pour from the wound, dying her white feathers red.

"Typing in the coordinates to Thanagar."

_"I hate you," _Issi said.

"_I know," _Shayera stared down at her sister, "_the feeling is almost mutual."_ The doors to the command room opened before Shayera could say anything else. Superman walked in with an unconscious Thanagarian thrown over each shoulder. Even more surprising was Katar strolling behind him. Shayera looked at Superman questioningly. "Oh, we stopped fighting after five minutes. Took out a few Thanagarian ships," Superman explained, dropping the two bodies on the floor unceremoniously. "_Trai…tor," _Issi growled in pain. Shayera quickly turned and delivered a knock-out blow to her sister's face. Katar smirked. "I'll make sure she gets the care she needs on Thanagar," Katar stepped forward, "I am her husband after all."

"And the Gordanians?" Shayera asked him pointedly.

"Leave General Trogaar to me," he said resolutely. Superman's comm began to blink. "I need to take this," he said, stepping away from Shayera and Katar. Katar stared down at Issi's unconscious body. "_Go easy on her_," Shayera said softly.

"_Why_?" Katar questioned in confusion. "_She was trying to kill you. All of this_," he motioned to the ships in space, "_was meant to destroy you_."

"As a result of her failure, my parents along with the other leaders of Thanagar will destroy her reputation," Shayera looked at him pointedly. "_You know this." _Katar looked away. "You're right," he said as he remembered the part he played in separating her wings from her body. "I'm sorry…for all of it," he said much to Shayera's surprise.

"Just make sure she stays…safe. She is my sister, after all," she said with a bitter laugh. Katar nodded. The doors to the command center opened, and several weary, Thanagarian commanders piled in. They stared in confusion at the scene before them. Katar barked out a few orders that were immediately followed. Superman walked over to Shayera. "Ready?" he asked Shayera. She nodded. "This is goodbye, isn't it?" Katar asked as Shayera turned on her heel. She stopped mid-step, looked down at the floor where her wings lay. She reattached them to her body. "Goodbye, Katar," she said as she followed Superman out the door, not once turning back.


	38. Chapter 38

**W****e have reached the end. Thank you all for accompanying me on this long journey. And thank you for the encouraging reviews. I may go back and change a few things here and there; but for the most part, I am happy with how this turned out. This is my first major story. Thank you for all of the views and reviews.**

* * *

Shayera stood awkwardly with the other league members as they piled into the Watchtower after helping with cleanup. Everyone looked worse for wear; but they were all thankful to be alive and happy to have survived yet another Thanagarian invasion. Unfortunately, Shayera was once again the subject of harsh and wary stares - this time, from the younger, newer leaguers. "Are they ever _not _going to look at us like that?" Shayera heard from behind her. She turned to see Shri sporting a few bruises and cuts here and there. Shayera could only shrug. Shri looked down at the broken helmet in Shayera's hand. "That's Issi's," Shri pointed out. "Did you kill her?"

"No," Shayera breathed. "Contrary to what you may have heard, I did not hate Issi." Shayera looked up at the younger hawk. "I may not have liked her; but I didn't hate her."

"What are you going to do with it?" Shri motioned to the helmet in Shayera's hands.

"Trash it. Unless, you want it," she held it out to Shri.

"I'm good."

"I heard you moved in with J'ohnn," Shayera said, changing topics.

"Yes," Shri's eye's brightened. "He took me to this…mall. He bought me clothes and a bed. He's helping me with my alias."

"Have you picked a name?" Shayera asked in interest.

"Kendra. Kendra Saunders. Kendra was my mom's name, and Saunders is the name of this small store near J'ohnn's house. I think Kendra Saunders has a nice ring to it."

"It does."

"What are you going to do?" Shri asked.

"I don't know," Shayera answered honestly after a moment.

"Maybe you can stay with your mate."

"My mate?" Shayera echoed. Shri nodded. "The guy wearing all black with the pointy things on his head," Shri continued. Shayera threw her head back and laughed. "They're ears," Shayera explained with a smile.

"Well, whatever they are, they're on their way here," Shri pointed out. Shayera turned to see Batman make his way towards them. The crowd of superheroes seemed to part for him. "Shayera," he greeted. "Shri." Shri continued to stare at the points on Batman's head. "Do you hear out of those?" Shri pointed to the pointy tips of Batman's cowl. To say Batman was taken off guard at the candor by which he was being addressed was an understatement. He wasn't offended; he was just shocked. Other leaguers were usually afraid to say 'hi'. "_I'll explain later," _Shayera said to Shri in Thanagarian. Shri shrugged. "The founding members are debriefing," Batman stated.

"I'm no longer a founding member," Shayera said. Batman said nothing. He turned and walked away. "He wants me to follow him," Shayera said as she handed the helmet to Shri.

"How do you know?" Shri asked in awe.

"I just do," Shayera said. "I'll catch up with you later."

* * *

Shayera sat at the table with the rest of the founding members as they began to debrief hours after the invasion. "Katar said he would deal with General Trogaar," Shayera finished as she recounted her fight with Issi.

"Do you trust him?" Superman asked.

"I doubt there's anything he can do," Shayera said instead of answering.

"The Lantern Corps will deal with it," Green Lantern said sternly. "I'll get on it as soon as we're finished here."

"J'ohnn," Shayera said, "thank you for pretending to be him." In truth, Shayera hadn't actually contacted General Trogaar. She had no idea how to get in touch with him. Thankfully, the Martian was able to read her mind as soon as she contacted him. Issi was none the wiser. "I am happy to have been of service," the green alien replied.

"Anything else?" Superman asked.

"Yes," Flash stood to his feet. "You said we'd discuss it later. This is late

"Flash-" Shayera began.

"It's a yes from me," Batman spoke up. Everyone turned to look the caped crusader. "He didn't even ask a question," Superman said.

"Actually," Flash said slowly, "I was going to bring up Shayera's reinstatement, so…yeah."

"Well," Superman said, "now is as good a time as any."

"No, guys," Shayera said uneasily, "this can wait. We're all tired and –"

"I vote yes," Green Lantern interrupted.

"John –"

"I agree," Wonder Woman said. "I think you've more than earned your place with us," she said kindly.

"B-but –"

"It's a yes from me," J'ohnn said. Shayera opened her mouth to retort, but Superman said, "And it's a yes from me."

"Guys," Shayera tried again.

"Congratulations, Shayera," Superman said. "Welcome back to the Justice League." Tears came to her eyes as emotions began creeping into her chest. She looked around the table at the smiling, encouraging faces of her fellow leaguers. "We're glad to have you back."

**(a few days later)**

Shayera slowly and quietly crept out of bed, doing her best to not disturb Bruce. She grabbed her new uniform and wings from their place in the closet and began to dress. A moan from the bed caused Shayera to slow down. She stared at the billionaire who was snoring softly as he lay on his back with his eyes closed. Shayera studied him, blushing as her eyes were drawn to his bare chest. She also blushed as she remembered exactly what had taken place in that bed hours earlier. She wasn't completely ignorant on the subject of sex per say. As a member of the ruling family on Thanagar, she was taught that sex was a means to an end – that end being a child or two. Sex as an intimate act between two people who cared deeply for each other was a foreign concept. And…Shayera began to blush even harder as she remembered Bruce showing her all of the different ways to have…intimacy. And to say Bruce was more than eager to educate on every form of sex was an understatement. He even showed her a book called _Kama Sutra_. It even illustrated certain concepts and positions. This wasn't the first time Shayera marveled at just how into sex humans were. "Shayera?" a sleepy Bruce called out. Shayera turned to him; his eyes were barely open. "What time is it?" he asked. Shayera looked at the clock. "Six a.m.," she answered. His eyes slowly blinked open as he sat up, taking in her appearance. "Early morning flight?" he asked. Shayera nodded. It was something she used to love doing – flying in the early morning. "It's been a while," she said as she pulled on her boots. "But you should sleep," she said. "You were up late last night."

_"We_ were up late last night," Bruce said with a smirk. Shayera only rolled her eyes. Bruce stood from the bed, not bothering to hide his nakedness. Shayera felt her face heat up. "I won't be long," she said, looking everywhere but…him. Before she could leave their room, Bruce pulled her to him before kissing her deeply. Shayera couldn't stop her moan even if she tried. Her heart began to beat at an accelerated pace when she felt Bruce's tongue stroke hers. "Bruce," she breathed out as he pulled away from her. Shayera fought the urge to jump him right then and there. "Be safe," was all he said.

"I'm always safe," Shayera said with a smile as she got her breathing back under control. Bruce only said, "Get out of here," as he playful squeezed her behind. Shayera released a squeal before punching him in the arm.

* * *

After grabbing her mace from the batcave, Shayera took off from a secret entrance. She soared through the air, basking in the morning sun's rays. She glided high through the air, watching as mother birds fed their young while others kicked their young out the nest…literally. She laughed as she flew over the ocean, staring at the dolphins and whales beneath the surface. She stretched her wings out as far as possible as felt the wind in her hair. She flew through cities and towns and listened as a few spectators pointed at her asking, "Is that Hawkgirl? Is she back?" She smiled at their questions as she landed on a hill far away from civilization. _Yeah, _she decided, _I guess I am back. _And it felt _oh_ so good.


End file.
